Wednesday, January 12, 2011

1101.2011,Monday
National
  • Congress MPs and MLAs attend Jagan's fast
  • New Delhi: The former Congress MP from Kadapa, who had resigned from the party in November last, arrived here late night by a special train along with his supporters and farmers.
  • Fresh snowfall in Kashmir, minimum temperature up
  • Srinagar: "Other than Qazigund (town in south Kashmir), snowfall was recorded everywhere in the Valley which lasted a couple of hours," Natural Disaster Management Cell Coordinator Aamir Ali told PTI.
  • Letter blames Lt Gen Halgali in Sukna land scam
  • Shillong: However, the General Court Martial in the case has refused to take cognisance of the letter which was received by it on Monday evening, sources said.
  • BJP to go ahead with Kashmir yatra tomorrow
  • Kolkata: "Opponents to this march know very well that if youth become aware of the Kashmir issues, they will lose political ground. That is why they are creating controversies on the march and trying to give it a political colour," Bhartiya Janta Yuva Morcha National President Anurag Thakur said.
  • Adivasis in Assam demand Scheduled Tribe status
  • Guwahati: In a memorandum submitted to the chief minister, the Association pointed out that adivasis in other states like Jharkhand, West Bengal, Bihar, Orissa, Madhya Pradesh and Chattishgarh were recognised as Scheduled Tribes.
  • Talwar's e-mail account hacked, fears 'misuse'
  • New Delhi: The Hotmail account of Rajesh Talwar was allegedly hacked a week before the CBI submitted its closure report in the Aarushi Talwar murder case on December 29.
  • 13 more die in UP due to cold; death toll reaches 102
  • Lucknow: While three persons each died in Barabanki and Balrampur districts, two deaths were reported from Kaushambi and one each from Chitrakoot, Basti, Orai, Sant Kabirnagar and Bareilly, officials said here.
  • ULFA chairman meets Paresh Baruah's mother
  • Jeraigaon (Assam): "As all of you went out together on your struggle 30 years ago, now bring Paresh Baruah, Anup Chetia and others back by any means for the talks for a lasting solution to the Assam problem. Otherwise it will remain unsolved," octogenarian Miliki said.
  • Fate of Adarsh Society to be decided by Friday
  • New Delhi: Environment Minister Jairam Ramesh has instructed officials in his ministry to complete all the work related to the issue by Friday so that a decision could be announced by that day, the source said.
  • Aarushi parents demand docs used in CBI probe
  • Ghaziabad: Counsel for Aarushi''s family Satish Tamta said the court also asked the CBI to file original documents by tomorrow in place of photocopies as done earlier.
  • ULFA leader wants immediate end to infiltration
  • Nalbari (Assam): "The illegal Bangladesh national issue has posed a serious threat to the state," ULFA ''foreign secretary'' Sashadhar Choudhury told a public rally here after his release from the Gauhati Central Jail on bail.
  • Situation in Afghanistan very disturbing : Krishna
  • New Delhi: Krishna termed as "very disturbing" the current situation in the war-torn country where Taliban is giving shelter to Pakistan based LeT and other terrorist outfits.
  • Jagan stages show of strength, taunts Congress
  • New Delhi: He taunted the Congress saying he is doing a favour to his former party by not asking his supporters to withdraw support to the Reddy government.
  • Chiefs of Army, Air Force to appear before PAC tomorrow
  • New Delhi: Army Chief V K Singh and Air Chief P V Naik have said they would appear before the PAC headed by senior BJP leader Murli Manohar Joshi.
  • Police constable injured in Naxal firing in Gadchiroli
  • Nagpur: The team was patrolling at Kansur in Atapalli taluka in Gadchiroli district when the Naxals opened fire, SI S Netam of Atapalli said.
  • 'PM leading the most corrupt govt in Indian history'
  • New Delhi: BJP today accused the PM of leading the "most corrupt" govt in the country's history & said the UPA II has little idea on how to deal with the various problems plaguing the nation.
  • Security of negotiators of Ayodhya peace talks removed
  • Ayodhya: The security cover provided by the local administration to the two leaders after they initiated peaceful talks for an out-of-court settlement of the Ayodhya dispute was taken off late last evening, official sources said.
  • ULFA 'foreign secretary' released from jail
  • Guwahati: Talking to waiting mediapersons outside the jail, Choudhury said the discussions, which would be held soon in a peaceful environment, would ultimately solve the ULFA problem.
  • UFLA leaders say they want amicable settlement
  • Tezpur: Gogoi alias Amulya Charan Roy and Das alias Kamal Kachari told media outside the jail that ULFA ''C-in-C'' Paresh Baruah''s presence in the proposed peace talks with the government was "inevitable." "Paresh Baruah may agree to join us soon. We will sit with our chairman Arabinda Rajkhowa and advisor Bhimkanta Buragohain before the proposed talks with the government," Roy said.
  • Adarsh scam: Maha for suspension of Info Comm
  • Mumbai: Tiwari should not attend office till the inquiry into the scam concludes, Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan told reporters after a meeting of the state cabinet chaired by him.
  • Left activists protest outside Rahul's function venue
  • Lucknow: As soon as the session came to an end and Gandhi''s cavalcade started coming out of the venue, ''Ravindralaya'', the activists of All India Students'' Association (AISA) and Inqalibi Naujawan Sabha carrying banners raised slogans but were promptly chased away by the police.
  • Murder accused arrested after 22 years
  • Muzaffarnagar: Ramkumar, carrying a police reward on his head, was absconding since 1989 after a case of attempt to murder was registered against him at Rampuri village in this district, DSP S K Shukla said here today.
  • Woman, paramour arrested for murdering husband
  • Jaipur: 40-year-old Savitri had killed her husband Kaluram (45) with the help of her paramour Mangal Ram on January 5 and later buried his body under the staircase of the house.
  • Kolkata experiences coldest day of the season
  • Kolkata: The intense cold spell will continue for another 48 hours in the city and neighbouring areas, the regional Met centre said.
  • Woman killed, 25 injured in road mishap
  • Muzaffarnagar: The accident occurred when the Uttar Pradesh roadways bus coming from Saharanpur to Baraut collided with another bus yesterday, they said.
  • SC nod to govt for trial in palmolein oil scam
  • New Delhi: A bench of justices Aftab Alam and R M Lodha gave the green signal after treating Karunakaran's appeal as "abated" in view of his death on December 23 last year. .
  • 30 women fall ill after drinking herb-based potions
  • The tantrik, Bhagwandeen, along with another person, has been arrested in connection with the incident, District Superintendent of Police Anand Chhabra said.
  • UP among states with high rate of Dalit atrocities
  • Varanasi: After taking over as NCSC Chairman in October 2010, he visited states like UP, Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh, Haryana, Maharashtra among others. But complaints of atrocities on Dalits is maximum in UP and most of these cases go unreported, Punia told reporters here.
  • Ten fishermen killed in road accident in Andhra
  • Visakhapatnam (AP): The incident occurred when the driver of the over-speeding van lost control over the vehicle and dashed into the stationary lorry from rear side on NH-5 at around 0400 hours, Narsipatnam DSP N Narasimha Kishore told PTI.
  • Ancient peace ritual to be documented again in Kerala
  • The 'Athirathram' ritual which literally means 'building up of the fireplace and performed overnight' and usually held to propagate universal peace and harmony, is scheduled to be held in Kerala's Panjal village, where it was first documented 35 years ago by US-based Indologist Frits Staa
  • Gulam Bustanvi is new VC of Darul Uloom Deoband
  • Muzaffarnagar: Bustanvi (65) was appointed as the new Vice Chacellor in a meeting of the managing body of the seminary held at Deoband yesterday. The meeting was attended by 14 members of the total 17 members, sources in seminary said today.
  • 140 surgeons in UP hospitals but no operation
  • The fact came to light in a report prepared by the state Health Directorate after compiling the data related to performance of government doctors from across the state.
  • No relief from extreme cold in Bihar
  • Patna: The minimum temperature throughout the state dipped as the north-westerly winds continued to sweep the region to intensify the chilly weather conditions, the Met office here said.
  • 3 more die in UP due to cold; death toll 92
  • Lucknow: The three persons, including an eight-year-old boy and a six-year-old girl, died due to cold in Barabanki district in the last 24 hours, officials said here.
  • Preliminary inquiry finds BSP MLA raped teenager
  • Lucknow: "The CB-CID, which was asked to probe the matter by Chief Minister Mayawati, has completed a preliminary inquiry and is ready with its report," a senior official told PTI.
  • 20 unfinished pistols seized from train compartment
  • Bokaro (Jharkhand): The GRP personnel were on duty last night when they spotted the bag, containing the half-made pistols, hidden under a berth of the train, the police said.
  • Temperatures rise in Raj; Sriganganagar coldest
  • Jaipur: Mount Abu recorded a minimum temperature of 0.8 deg C last night as against minus 4.2 deg C recorded the previous day, while the minimum temperature in Churu was 1.3 deg C as against 0.4 deg C recorded the day before, according to the Met department here.
  • Cold wave continues to sweep Delhi
  • New Delhi: The minimum temperature was recorded at 4.6 degree Celsius, two degrees below normal for this time of the year.
  • Flight operations normal at IGI airport
  • New Delhi: "As there was no dense fog at the airport and visibility was good, flight operations remained normal this morning," an airport official said.
International
  • US, China spies offer for military ties: Gates
  • Beijing: Asked at a briefing in Beijing if ties between intelligence agencies could serve as a for improving strained US-China military relations, the CIA veteran said: "The way I would put it is that I had an association with certain relationships that remain largely unaffected, as I used the term yesterday, by shifting political winds.
  • More than 50 killed in Tunisian riots: union official
  • Tunis: "The number killed has passed 50," said Sadok Mahmoudi, a member of the regional branch of the Tunisian General Union of Labour (UGTT), citing tolls issued by medical staff in the regional hospital in the town.
  • UK lawmaker pleads guilty over expenses charges
  • London: Eric Illsley, currently the House of Commons legislator for the Barnsley Central district, told a London court Tuesday that he now admitted he dishonestly claimed about 14,000 pounds (USD 22,000).
  • US could be in Afghanistan after 2014, says Biden
  • Kabul: About 97,000 American troops in Afghanistan are expected to start limited withdrawals in July ahead of the scheduled transfer of responsibility for security to Afghan forces in 2014.
  • Explosion at Georgian military base kills three
  • Tbilisi: The blast took place when a mortar shell exploded at the Krtsanisi base in Tbilisi, where soldiers have been trained by US military advisers for deployment to Afghanistan as part of Georgia''s contribution to the NATO-led mission there.
  • WikiLeaks founder back in court over extradition
  • London: The founder of secret-spilling website WikiLeaks was back in court today as part of his fight to avoid being extradited to Sweden, where he's wanted on sex crimes allegations.
  • Scientists inch closer to develop synthetic blood
  • Washington: Researchers at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill who made the discovery believe this could also lead to more effective treatments for life threatening medical conditions such as cancer.
  • Clinton in Yemen to broaden fight against Qaeda
  • Sanaa: The US embassy in the Yemeni capital Sanaa said that Clinton had arrived in the country for a half-day visit "bearing the message of a ''long-term partnership''." The first chief US diplomat to visit the country in more than 20 years, she would meet Saleh to "exchange views on emerging issues and discuss common interests," said an embassy statement.
  • World's oldest winery 'discovered' in Armenia
  • London: An international team, which has made the discovery, says it has found a grape press, fermentation jars and even a cup and drinking bowl in the winery, the latest edition of the ''Journal of Archaeological Science'' reported.
  • India emerges Sri Lanka's biggest tourist generator
  • Colombo: Indian tourists visiting Sri Lanka reached 126,882, taking a bigger lead over Britons who numbered 105,496 last year. In 2009 too, Indians were leading, but marginally with 83,634 compared to 81,594 Britons.
  • US Supreme Court dismisses Obama citizenship case
  • The Court yesterday refused to hear an appeal filed by the California lawyer Orly Taitz, leader of the "birther" movement.
  • Jerusalem will never be divided, says city mayor
  • New York: "It''s not going to happen, it''s not natural, it''s the wrong thing to do from any perspective," mayor Nir Barkat said yesterday during a visit to New York.
  • Report: NKorea kills five refugees inside China
  • Seoul: The incident happened near the North''s northeastern city of Hyesan on December 14 after the refugees crossed the frozen Yalu border river, Chosun Ilbo newspaper said, quoting a source in China.
  • Troops never crossed Line of Actual Control: China 
  • "China''s border personnel have been respecting the two agreements made between the two countries to maintain peace and tranquility in border areas and have never crossed the LAC," Foreign Ministry spokesman Hong Lei told a media briefing here.
  • 57 million Chinese tourists set to visit abroad in 2011
  • The ''Namaste India campaign'' is doing the rounds in China as part of this move, Shoeb Samad, Director of India Tourism office in Beijing told PTI.
  • Iran says did not arrest US woman at border
  • Tehran: "From the start she never entered Iran ... The issue was sorted out at the level of border control," foreign ministry spokesman Ramin Mehmanparast told reporters at his weekly press conference.
  • Clinton 'will fail' to rally Gulf against Iran
  • Tehran: "US officials'' moves and visits in the region aimed at intensifying sanctions against Iran will not have the desired result for them," foreign ministry spokesman Ramin Mehmanparast told reporters.
  • US weighs benefits of air bags for small planes
  • Washington: The National Transportation Safety Board is set to release a study on yesterday of 138 accidents involving general aviation planes equipped with air bags. General aviation aircraft range from single-engine propeller planes to multiengine business jets to helicopters. The category includes all aircraft except scheduled airline service and military aircraft.
  • Italian man shot in head 'sneezes out bullet'
  • London: 28-year-old Darco Sangermano was hit in his head by the stray .22 calibre bullet while wandering with his girlfriend through the city of Naples notorious for its rowdy New Year celebrations.
  • Chinese singer draws flak for misusing police car
  • Na Ying, a noted Chinese singer, panicked on Sunday to find that she had left her costume at home after arriving for a performance. Na''s assistant immediately shot off to her house in a traffic police car with blaring sirens and lights.
  • Dhaka court stays functioning of Press Club body
  • Dhaka: Judge Sheikh Muzahidul Islam yesterday ordered the new committee to handover the charge to the previous committee in next seven days, court officials said.
  • Pak defers military offensive against Haqqani
  • In the meantime, US drones will continue to target Taliban sanctuaries in North Waziristan and elsewhere in the tribal belt as this is the only available option to weaken the militants, ''The Express Tribune'' newspaper quoted unnamed sources as saying.
  • Bilawal Bhutto vows jihad vs fundamentalists
  • London: Comparing the killing of Taseer to assassination of his mother, Bilawal said the Punjab governor had "too refused to be silenced".
  • Giffords responds to verbal commands, gives thumbs-up
  • Medical officials in the intensive care unit of Tucson''s University Medical Center said the US representative was able to raise two fingers and give a thumbs-up as directed.
  • Legislation to ban high capacity gun clips in US
  • In a statement, New Jersey Senator Frank R Lautenberg said he plans to introduce legislation that would prohibit the manufacture and sale of high-capacity ammunition feeding devices, such as the high-capacity magazine used by Arizona shooting suspect Jared Loughner.
  • WikiLeaks disastrous for US diplomacy: Singapore
  • Singapore: "Will it affect communications with the US diplomat? I think inevitably, because if this happened once, it can happen again, and I think we have got to be more careful," Foreign Minister George Yeo told parliament yesterday.
  • Obama, Sarkozy discusses global economic recovery
  • Obama''s meeting with Sarkozy yesterday came as France assumes the presidencies of both the G8 group of the world''s largest developed economies and the G20.
  • Sarah Palin scraps reality show to run for president?
  • Los Angeles: The 46-year-old Republican''s show ''Sarah Palin''s Alaska'', which has courted much controversy in recent months, had its season one finale on January 9, reported Entertainment Weekly.
  • US, France pledge to fight terrorism together
  • "Both the US and France are determined to stand firm as allies on this issue of terrorism. Both of us believe that any show of weakness would be culpable," visiting French President Nicolas Sarkozy told reporters at a joint media availability.
  • US condemns verdict against Iranian activist
  • Washington: "Ms Sotoudeh is a strong voice for rule of law and justice in Iran. We are dismayed by her continued detention and loss of the right to practice law," US State Department spokesman P J Crowley said in a statement.
  • Ex-NASA worker charged military tech sale to SKorea
  • Washington: Kue Sang Chun, 66, of Avon Lake, Ohio, was charged with one count of illegally exporting US defence articles and one count of knowingly making and subscribing a false US individual income tax return, the department said yesterday.
  • US gov spares man whose execution was imminent
  • St Louis (US): Governor Jay Nixon said in a statement yesterday that he was commuting the sentence for Richard Clay, 45, to life in prison without the possibility of parole.
  • 19 dead or missing in Australian flood 'tsunami'
  • Brisbane: Queensland state premier Anna Bligh said the death toll was expected to rise after fast-running torrents of water devastated the rural town of Toowoomba and other areas, sweeping away cars and leaving survivors clinging to trees.
  • Interpol after 47 Saudis for alleged al-Qaida ties
  • Paris: The publication by the international police body yesterday means all 188 member countries have received details about the suspects so that national police forces can help track them down.
  • Passenger held after plane bomb threat in Jordan
  • Amman: "A Jordanian passenger told a flight attendant he wanted to see the captain, just as the aircraft was about to take off. When his request was refused, he claimed he had a bomb and threatened to blow the plane up," the official said.
  • US high court rejects Obama citizenship case
  • Washington: The high court, without comment, rejected the request by Orly Taitz, a California lawyer who has emerged as a leader of the "birther" movement of mainly rightwing protesters who question where Obama was born.
  • Iran scientist's 'killer trained in Israel': Report
  • Tehran: Majid Jamali Fash, identified in the report as "a member of Mossad terrorist network and the main element" behind last year''s assassination of nuclear scientist Masoud Ali Mohammadi, said he was trained by Israeli military officers at a base near Tel Aviv.
  • China's Hu vows stronger fight against corruption
  • Beijing: Hu pledged to "resolutely punish corruption with enforceable measures and great determination," the official Xinhua News Agency reported.
  • US, UN deplores demolition of East Jerusalem hotel
  • Washington: Such a move only serves to heighten tensions, said a statement issued by the spokesman of the UN chief Ban Ki-moon.
  • NASA discovers first rocky planet outside solar system
  • Washington: NASA''s Kepler mission has confirmed the discovery of its first rocky planet, 1.4 times the size of Earth & is the smallest planet ever discovered outside the solar system.
  • Clashes in Sudan's Abyei kill at least 33: Rivals
  • Juba (Sudan): "Thirteen Misseriya have been killed and 38 wounded since Friday," Misseriya tribal leader Hamid al-Ansari said.
Business
  • Tata slams govt's stand on leakage of Radia tapes
  • New Delhi: He voiced the criticism in an affidavit filed in the court in response to the government''s reply to his petition, seeking protection of his right to privacy, linked to the citizens'' fundamental right to life.
  • 600 tn onions from Pak to reach Mundra port
  • New Delhi: Another tranche of about 500 tonnes of onion is expected to reach Mudra port next week, they added.
  • Oil prices jump after leak shuts Alaskan pipeline
  • New York: New York''s main contract, light sweet crude for February delivery, closed at USD 89.25 a barrel, an increase of USD 1.22 from Friday.
  • Delhi onion traders to go on strike; prices may spiral
  • New Delhi:  In a move which will further fuel prices, onion traders in Asia's biggest Azadpur mandi said they will go on an indefinite strike from tomorrow protesting income tax raids.
  • India to grow by 8.7 per cent in current fiscal: Fitch
  • New Delhi: "Fitch expects economic growth of 8.7 per cent in FY11," the rating agency said in a report.
  • Auto sales up 31 pc in Dec, slowdown ahead: SIAM
  • New Delhi: In December, total sale of vehicles across categories registered growth of 30.51 per cent to 13,05,872 units in December 2010, as against 10,00,562 units in the same month of 2009. The industry has been growing at around 30 per cent in the ongoing fiscal.
  • Sensex falls for 6th session; down 28 pts in trade
  • Mumbai: Investors remained wary of rising prices, which may lead to a further hike in interest rates, even as Prime Minister Manmohan Singh met senior ministers earlier in the day to find ways to tame food inflation which has gone beyond 18 per cent.
  • Milk output in India to touch record 121.5 mn tonnes
  • New Delhi: India's milk output is expected to touch 121.5 million tonnes in the current year, translating into a growth of nearly 4 per cent  vis-a-vis the previous year.
  • Sebi warns on Iran money in stock market
  • New Delhi: The warning has been issued to stock exchanges and other market intermediaries by Sebi through a circular, containing a global financial market caution notice on Iran by the Financial Action Task Force (FATF).
  • TCS, Infy lose shine on BSE ahead of Q3 nos
  • Mumbai: TCS went down by 2.58 per cent to close at Rs 1,099.40 on the Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE), registering its third straight session fall. During the day, the scrip had lost 3.65 per cent to hit an intra-day low of Rs 1,087.30.
  • Educomp forms JV with Zeebo, Lakshya Digital
  • New Delhi: "Zeebo India, the joint venture firm, will work towards tailoring Zeebo''s technology and developing content for school children in India," Educomp Solutions CEO Shantanu Prakash told reporters here.
  • MySpace website to cut staff numbers in half
  • London: " MySpace is preparing to axe about half of its staff, cutting the number of employees to about 500," the Financial Times reported.
  • FM may not cut taxes; continue with stimulus
  • New Delhi: "Finance Minister is not in a mood to cut taxes because it will affect fiscal deficit targets...It appears that FM has at least agreed to continue with stimulus packages," Videocon Chairman Venugopal Dhoot told reporters after a three hour long meeting.
  • 'Rural India to be new engine for double digit growth'
  • Thrissur: Delivering the third V O Abraham Memorial lecture on ''The Dawn of the Indian Decade: 2010-2020'' here last night Kamath said that this would be India''s decade.
  • Metro cities freight rate slips on less cargo movement
  • New Delhi: Transporters said heavy availability of trucks and reduced cargo movements, pulled down metro cities freight rates.
  • Apollo Tyres signs MoU with Tamil Nadu Govt
  • Chennai: Considering the demand for the product, Apollo Tyres has decided to make a total investment of Rs 2,100 crore, a state government release here said.
  • Rising from the ranks he formed largest digital media company
  • Chief Operating Officer and Founder of Magnon Solutions, Vineet (RPT Vineet) Bajpai, whose client list includes big names of India Inc like Bharti, Mahindra and Mahindra, HCL, Maruti,Tata Consultancy Services besides over 600 firms across five continents, is coming out with his book ? 'The St
  • Parsvnath raises Rs 100 cr via equity sale
  • New Delhi: The 31-acre housing project ''Parsvnath Exotica'' is being developed by its subsidiary Parsvnath Buildwell.
  • Nepal eyes spa, wellness sector to attract tourists
  • "South-east and South Asia have now become centre for spa and wellness tourism and Nepal should exploit this opportunity by building infrastructure and adding facilities," said Prakash Shrestha, president of Spa and Wellness Association Nepal (SWAN).
  • Punj Lloyd bags Bihar govt contract for water plant
  • New Delhi: "Punj Lloyd Delta Renewables, a Group Company ...today announced winning an EPC contract for a centralised water treatment plant... awarded on a turnkey basis by the Public Health Engineering Department of the Bihar government," the company said in a statement.
  • Jaeger Envirotech plans to foray into India
  • New Delhi: "We had been on the lookout for distributors in S-E Asia and after an in-depth study, it was unanimously decided that India would be best suited," Jaeger Envirotech President Andreas Jager said in a company release.
  • Oral insulin's Biocon clinical study fails to meet target
  • New Delhi: "IN-105 did not meet its primary end point of lowering HbA1c levels by 0.7 per cent compared to placebo, although an unexpectedly high placebo response was also observed", Biocon said in a statement.
  • SKS Microfinance to provide small loans at 24.55%
  • Mumbai: "The company will not collect charges towards credit shield charge, loan processing fee, and card fee with effect from January 11. With this all effective interest rate across country will be 24.55 per cent for all future disbursements," it said in a filing to stock exchanges-National Stock Exchange and Bombay Stock Exchange.
  • BHEL emerges as lowest bidder for RRVUNL
  • New Delhi: "BHEL has outbid BGR Energy Systems and Russian company, Powermachines, for the EPC contracts for two super-critical thermal power projects of RRVUNL," a source said.
  • Pak traders to sell 3,000 MT in spotmkt
  • Chandigarh: "Pakistan-based vegetable exporters will sell onion, which was contracted before the ban was imposed, in local market, as it (onions) is a perishable commodity and they can''t hold it for long," the Amritsar-based vegetable trader Anil Mehra said today.
  • Reliance Industries gas output to go up
  • New Delhi: Reliance has seen natural gas output fall to 50-52 mmscmd during recent times from over 60 mmscmd achieved in mid-2010 due to reservoir complexities.
  • iGate makes open offer for 20.6 pc stake in Patni
  • Mumbai: Yesterday, after several rounds of negotiations, the US- based iGate-led consortium clinched a deal to buy nearly 63 per cent stake in Patni Computer for about USD 921 mn.
  • Sensex bounces 185 points in opening trade
  • Mumbai: The Sensex, which had lost over 1,335 points in last five sessions, rose by 185 points, or 0.96 per cent to 19,409.12 with all the sectors, led by banking and auto.
  • Domestic car sales up by 28.91 pc, bikes 27.13 pc
  • New Delhi: According to the figures, released by the Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers (SIAM) today, motorcycle sales in the country during December 2010 grew by 27.13 per cent to 7,53,358 units from 5,92,589 units in the same month previous year.
  • Airlifting of PDS items would improve position
  • Itanagar: After visiting air fed stations, like Mago, Thingbo and Luguthang in Tawang district, Damin in Kurung Kumey district and Vijoy Nagar in Changlang district, Food Corporation of India chairman-cum-managing director Shiraj Hussein told PTI here that "there is better appreciation of ground level situation now in the state." The FCI official said the Arunachal Pradesh government has given a proposal to the Centre for use of helicopter to airlift rice to remote areas.
  • Open more facilities in US to change job-taker
  • Bangalore: "America is still in deep and in dark recession", said Ron Somers, President of US India Business Council (USIBC) at an interactive session organised by Bangalore Chamber of Industry and Commerce (BCIC) in association with Indo-American Chamber of Commerce?South India Council, here yesterday.
  • Rupee gains by 11 paise vs dlr in morning trade
  • Mumbai: At the Interbank Foreign Exchange (Forex) market, the local currency opened higher at Rs 45.40/41 a dollar from last close of Rs 45.45/46 and firmed up further to Rs 45.34 per dollar before quoting at Rs 45.35/36 at 1030 hours.

 Sports
  • Adam Gilchrist to lead Kings XI Punjab in IPL-IV
  • New Delhi: The hard-hitting left-hander was the skipper of Deccan Chargers in the first three editions of the cash-rich Twenty20 tournament and even led the Hyderabad outfit to the title in IPL II in 2009.
  • India win all medals in 500 mt speed skating
  • Dehra Dun: While Subodh Patil won gold, Harshal Gosale and Lavish Vaidya bagged the silver and bronze medals respectively in the men''s 500 meter speed skating event held at indoor stadium of Maharana Pratap sports complex here.
  • SC postpones hearing for three weeks on Modi's plea
  • New Delhi: Modi had in September last year filed a Special Leave Petition (SLP) before the apex court citing the "real danger of bias" in the proceedings being conducted by the three-member committee.
  • Miandad blames IPL for Australian cricket's decline
  • Karachi: Holding IPL responsible for Aus cricket''s decline, former Pak captain Miandad said the Aussie players got distracted by the big cash thrown at them by the T20 league.
  • Five indoor wickets to be constructed in Kashmir
  • Srinagar: The indoor wickets are expected to be ready by August this year, which would allow the cricketers from Kashmir to continue their practice even during the winter months, Secretary of Jammu and Kashmir Cricket Association (JKCA) Saleem Khan told PTI.
  • Despite 0-4 loss, Indians earn respect from Aussies
  • Doha: Australia''s German coach Holger Osieck said though India struggled to keep pace with his boys, they stuck to their game to make it a contest in the opening Group C match and can held their heads high.
  • Big surprise that no one picked Ganguly: Akram
  • New Delhi: The snub to Ganguly in the IPL players auction shocked Wasim Akram, who said he expected any of the other franchise to pick Ganguly for his experience & leadership qualities.
  • Lee, Hussey expected to make it in WC squad
  • Melbourne: Chairman of selectors, Andrew Hilditch after announcing the team for the fist game against the visitors to be held at MCG on Sunday mentioned that the WC squad "will probably be very much reflected in the team we have just announced." Hilditch however said that there are still some spots to be filled before the final team is announced. "We are still looking at two or three people ahead of that final 15 selection," the chairman told Australian Associated Press (AAP).
  • Preeja Sreedharan is 'Manorama Newsmaker-2010'
  • Thiruvananthapuram: Preeja was adjudged the Newsmaker through SMS and online votes conducted among the news channel viewers. The result of the poll was announced last night by actor Mohanlal, who is also the brand ambassador for Kerala Athletics.
  • India on a high ahead of ODI series against SA
  • Dubbed challenging to start with, the African safari has been reasonably successful for Mahendra Singh Dhoni''s men, who avoided a Test series loss in the country for the first time earlier this month.
  • Chris Gayle disappointed by IPL snub
  • Melbourne: "I''m sure all those IPL franchises, everyone will know what I''m capable of. I didn''t have anything to prove. It''s unfortunate things didn''t come off in the IPL, disappointed but at the same time you''ve got to live life and still got to move on," Gayle said.
  • Australian selection chief vows to stay
  • Sydney: Following Australia''s dismal 3-1 series loss to their old foe, Hilditch refused to take the blame, saying his selection panel had "done a very good job" in a comment greeted with derision among cricket fans and media.
  • Australia recall pacemen Lee, Tait for ODI series
  • Sydney: Lee and Tait, who are both returning from injuries, were included in a 14-man squad for Sunday''s first one-dayer against the Ashes victors at the Melbourne Cricket Ground.
  • Striker Lionel Messi wins FIFA world player award
  • Zurich: Messi won the FIFA award for a second straight year yesterday, finishing ahead of Barcelona teammates Andres Iniesta and Xavi Hernandez.
13.01.2011,Thursday
National
International
  • 26/11 case: Pak unlikely to defend Saeed in US court
  • Islamabad: Pak's decision to defend ISI officials in the lawsuit in a Brooklyn court does not apply to "non-officials," Foreign Office spokesman Abdul Basit told a weekly briefing.
  • NASA says it can't afford new rocket, spacecraft
  • Washington: Lawmakers from the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation shot back that the plan is not optional and that the US space agency must find a way to devise a workable plan.
  • Three Pak tribesmen killed as mortar shell exploded
  • Islamabad: The tribesmen were cleaning the live mortar shell at the scrap-yard at Ghalanai, the Mian town of Mohmand Agency, when it exploded. The dead men belonged to the same family.
  • At least 335 killed in Brazil floods, mudslides
  • Rio De Janeiro: Rescue crews meanwhile resumed their work at sunrise after taking a break overnight.
  • 10 Chinese officials punished for lead poisoning
  • Beijing: Local officials have been punished after battery factory emissions for the incident in Anhui Province, official Xinhua news agency reported today.
  • Clinton urges Arab reform to foil extremism
  • Doha: "Too few countries," she warned, have "plans" to deal with the worsening outlook.
  • Pak to block sites, SMS 'propagating anti-Islam agenda'
  • Islamabad: Malik ordered the Interior Secretary to trace all websites that are "propagating against Islam". Cases should be registered against persons who are involved in such acts and are residing in Pakistan, he said.
  • Pak Prez Zardari leaves for US, will meet Clinton
  • Zardari left for the US today to the memorial service for Special Envoy Richard Holbrooke, who died last month. Clinton will call on Zardari and some other meetings are being arranged though no meeting has been scheduled with Obama, Basit told a weekly news briefing.
  • 'Probe into Samjhauta blast moving at snail's pace'
  • Islamabad: "We hope that India would share the details of their investigations with Pakistan at the earliest as was conveyed to them formally (on Monday)," Foreign Office spokesman Abdul Basit told a weekly briefing.
  • Bangladesh probes Grameen Bank anomalies
  • A five-member probe committee, headed by Prof Manwar Uddin Ahmed, will review Grameen Bank''s lending rates compared to other micro-lenders along with the allegation of fund transfer violating the country''s financial rules.
  • Lankan Navy denies firing at Indian fishermen
  • Colombo: "No such incident had been reported," Lankan Navy spokesperson Captain Athula Senarth told reporters here.
  • Speed up action against Taliban, Qaeda:  Mullen to Pak 
  • Islamabad: The US wants Pak to take speedy action against al-Qaeda and Taliban elements holed up in N Waziristan, American military chief Admiral Mike has said.
  • Body of Irish bride could leave Mauritius today
  • Port Louis: "Everything has been done to enable the body to be transported (back to Ireland) via Britain this evening," said Donald Payen, a spokesman for the Indian Ocean island''s national carrier.
  • Thai government to freeze goods prices until March
  • Bangkok: Watcharee Wimuktayont, Director-General of the Thai Ministry of Commerce''s Department of Internal Trade, confirmed yesterday the price freezing policy, saying that her department will not approve any proposed price rise by local producers or suppliers over the next two months.
  • Ship carrying acid overturns in Germany: police
  • Berlin: "Two members of the crew were rescued but two others are missing," police spokesman Paul-Heinz Meurisch said.
  • One killed, two persons hurt in blast in Pak tribal belt
  • Peshawar: The bomb exploded close to Shinko check post in Bar Kambarkhel town of Khyber tribal agency, an official said.
  • NKorea must take action to defuse tensions: Gates
  • Tokyo: Gates, in Tokyo as part of an Asia tour, called on the regime to cease its "belligerent behaviour" and said that US efforts were focused on preventing Pyongyang from resorting to aggression.
  • Israel troops on alert as Lebanon government falls
  • Jerusalem: Authorities are concerned that the political turmoil in Lebanon will spill over into renewed violence on the Lebanese-Israel border.
  • Eleven persons killed in Mexico drug violence
  • Ciudad Juarez (Mexico): Chihuahua, which borders the US state of Texas and includes the crime-plagued city of Ciudad Juarez, has the highest figures of criminal violence linked to the illegal drug trade, according to government figures.
  • Clerics receive threats for conducting Taseer funeral
  • Maulana Afzal Chishti, the head of the ''ulema'' or clerics'' wing of the ruling PPP, had led the funeral prayer for Taseer along with Qari Muhammad Younus.
  • Freed Myanmar democracy icon seeks to revive party
  • Yangon (Myanmar): The Nobel Peace Prize laureate is launching an appeal to the Supreme Court to challenge a ruling by the military regime that rendered her party defunct.
  • Number of poor increases by 20 pc in Serbia
  • Belgrade: "The figures regarding poverty and the standard of living in Serbia sound alarming: about 650,000 people are below or on the poverty line,almost 600,000 people have no jobs, which is by 140,000 more than at the beginning of the crisis," Matkovic stated in an interview for the Belgrade-based daily Vecernje Novosti.
  • Cuba, Venezuela to be connected via underground cable
  • Havana: At Siboney Beach, a place located 8.7 miles from the city of Santiago, a group of technicians is intensifying work to start the installation of the necessary infrastructure, which includes a communication center.
  • Hezbollah forces Lebanon government collapse
  • Beirut: Energy Minister Gebran Bassil said 10 ministers had resigned because of a long-running dispute with Prime Minister Saad Hariri - son of the slain leader - over the Special Tribunal for Lebanon.
  • Haley's achievement makes us proud: Indo-Americans
  • "Governor Nikki Haley of South Carolina made all Indian- Americans proud. She is an inspiration and a role to all women in the US and India. Governor Haley is the new face and a positive message of the conservative Republican Party," said Puneet Ahluwalia, who is from Republican Party of Virginia.
  • Somalia to launch attacks soon on al-Qaida
  • United Nations: He also warned that nearly 2.5 million Somalis in both Islamist and government-controlled areas are on the verge of starvation and said some have already died.
  • Iran nuclear envoy meets with Chinese officials
  • Beijing: Ali Bagheri met with Chinese Vice Foreign Minister Zhang Zhijun and Assistant Foreign Minister Wu Hailong yesterday, a Chinese foreign ministry spokesman told AFP.
  • Malaysia probes children's home over 'sex abuse'
  • Kuala Lumpur: "We have set up a task force to look into the allegations and what took place in the home," district police chief Gan Kong Meng told AFP.
  • Hundreds killed in Brazil floods, mudslides
  • Teresopolis (Brazil): Rescue operations in the area north of Rio known as the Serrana were suspended late yesterday because of darkness and dangerous conditions.
  • New UN warning to renegade ICoast leader
  • United Nations: UN troops are "determined" to stay in a troubled district of the African nation''s main city, Abidjan, where six people died earlier in the day, his spokesman Martin Nesirky said in a statement yesterday. Gbagbo''s forces were reported to be trying to get the peacekeepers out of the area.
  • Indonesian police say toy salesman raped 96 kids
  • Jakarta: The 34-year-old man was arrested last week in the capital Jakarta after a complaint was filed by the parents of one of the alleged victims.
  • Indian workers allege abuse by employer in Malaysia
  • Kuala Lumpur: The men, who were working in an Indian restaurant in Subang Jaya, sought help from Alternative Action Team President B Kalaivanar, local Tamil daily ''Malaysia Nanban'' said.
  • Bangla HC seeks govt report on military tribunal
  • A two-member High Court bench comprising judges AHM Shamsuddin Chowdhury and Sheikh Md Zakir Hossain also ordered the government to provide the details of the army officers who were involved in policy-making between November 1975 and August 1976, when the country witnessed a series of coups and counter-coups.
  • US to discuss currency and human rights with China
  • "What you''ll see next week is a furthering of that effort in terms of looking and working on issues of common interest and developing that relationship further," Mike Hammer, spokesperson of the National Security Council, told foreign journalists.
  • 'No Indian casualties in Australian floods'
  • Melbourne: "The High Commission has not received any reports to date of any casualties amongst Indian nationals," the mission said in a statement from Canberra.
  • Proud daughter of Indian immigrants: Nikki Haley
  • "I stand before you today, the proud daughter of Indian immigrants," Haley said in her inaugural speech on the State House''s south steps yesterday.
  • United States issues Nepal travel alert
  • "The US government''s designation of the Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist) as a ''Specially Designated Global Terrorist'' organisation under Executive Order 13224, and its inclusion on the ''Terrorist Exclusion List'' pursuant to the Immigration and Nationality Act, remain in effect," the State Department said in a travel alert issued yesterday.
  • Six persons killed in road accident in Sri Lanka
  • Colombo: The accident took place at Kosgama, 47 kms from Colombo, Police said.
  • 'Do not use shooting tragedy to turn on one another'
  • Cancelling all his pre-scheduled engagements, Obama accompanied by the First Lady, Michelle, travelled to Tucson in Arizona, the venue of the deadly shooting, to personally mourn the tragic incident that killed six people and injured several others, including Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords, who is now battling for life in hospital.
  • Cyber warfare has devastating potential, says Mullen
  • "It (cyber warfare) is an area that has received great focus on the part of the United States and other countries.
  • 'Provocations by NKorea could become catastrophic'
  • "The potential provocations could become more and more catastrophic. And that''s been a principal point of focus as we look at engaging the leadership in China and others to say this is something we really have to figure out a way to deter in the future," Admiral Mike Mullen, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff said here.
  • China's military capabilities focused on US: Mullen
  • Washington: Ahead of the State visit of Chinese Prez Hu Jintao, a top US military leader has said many of the military capabilities being developed by Beijing were focused on the US.
  • 2 Indo-Canadians nominated for NRI Sabha Punjab
  • Toronto: Rajinder Saini, a noted journalist from Toronto and Major Singh Sahota from Vancouver, were nominated as vice presidents of the Sabha, a spokesperson of the organisation said.
  • Strong 6.5 magnitude earthquake hits off Japan
  • Tokyo: The quake hit at 7:32 am (local time) 220 kilometres west of Chichi-shima in the remote Bonin Islands at a deep 520 kilometres, USGS said.
  • Kanishka inquiry commission recommendation rejected
  • Toronto: "The Air India report''s call to hand new authority to the adviser would undermine ministerial responsibility," Canadian Press said, quoting a secret memo to Public Safety Minister Vic Toews, written by Canadian Security Intelligence Service director Dick Fadden.
  • Violence will be worse in Afghanistan in '11: Mullen
  • "As difficult as it may be to accept, we must prepare ourselves for more violence and more casualties in coming months.
  • World Hindi Day celebrated in Kuwait
  • Dubai: The Indian community residing in Kuwait gathered to encourage students from 14 Indian schools who participated in a debate on ''Bhasha Ka Vikas Desh Ka Vikas'' (Development of Language is Equal to Nation''s Development), a statement from the Indian Embassy in Kuwait, said.
  • Torrential rain, mudslides in Brazil kill 140 persons
  • Rio De Janeiro: Rescuers using heavy machinery, shovels and bare hands struggled to dig through tons of mud and debris in a search for survivors.
  • Ruling party's presidential primary kicks off in Nigeria
  • Abuja: The major contenders are incumbent President Goodluck Jonathan and former vice president Atiku Abubakar who have large followers across the country and the major issue may be the issue of rotational presidency which has been the major point of political debates this election period.
  • Ban backs Lebanon tribunal as government collapse
  • United Nations: "The secretary general is monitoring closely developments in Lebanon, where the situation is fast evolving," said spokesman Martin Nesirky in a statement.
  • Tunisia deploys troops in capital as new clashes erupt
  • Tunis: Under pressure after security forces opened fire on demonstrators over the weekend, killing between 20 and 50 people, the government fired the interior minister and said it would investigate alleged use of excessive force.
  • Military joins relief operations in Sri Lanka
  • Colombo: Army, Navy and Air Force personnel are working around the clock to provide water, food and shelter on a priority basis to all flood victims.
Business
  • Nafed confident onion prices will fall to Rs 25/kg in Delhi
  • New Delhi: Onion prices will come down to Rs 25 a kg in the Delhi in 10-15 days following a supply boost from Pak and arrivals from Maharashtra, Nafed Chairman said.
  • Pepsi launches WC campaign with Dhoni, Sehwag
  • New Delhi: Feisty off-spinner Harbhajan Singh, batsmen Suresh Raina and Virat Kohli would also be part of the campaign. The first of the television commercials featuring Indian cricket players would be launched on January 15, followed by others.
  • BlackBerry announces answer to India security fear
  • New Delhi: However, the solution did not include providing access to corporate e-mail services, Research In Motion (RIM) said in a statement.
  • Food bill to rise by Rs 2K cr if panel report accepted
  • New Delhi: However, the extra burden would grow by Rs 11,000 crore to Rs 92,060 crore if 75 per cent of the population is covered under the proposed food bill as suggested by the National Advisory Council (NAC).
  • Govt unveils steps to check inflation; to act against hoarders
  • New Delhi: After two days of discussions at the highest level, chaired by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh - on a day weekly food inflation showed some moderation - the government constituted an inter-ministerial group under Chief Economic Advisor Kaushik Basu to review the overall inflation with particular reference to primary food articles.
  • Govt may agree for JPC probe in 2G scam: Cong leader
  • New Delhi: An indication to this effect was given by a senior Congress leader who declined to be identified.
  • Nokia Siemens Networks expands Chennai facility
  • Chennai: The company, which entered India in 2007, has already invested USD 70 million spread over a period of three years.
  • Tata Housing to invest 1,000 cr in Ahmedabad
  • Mumbai: The agreement was signed on the second day of the Vibrant Gujarat Summit at Gandhinagar, Tata Housing Managing Director and Chief Executive Brotin Banerjee told PTI here.
  • Starbucks, Tata Coffee sign pact for collaboration
  • New Delhi: Starbucks Coffee Company and Tata Coffee signed a non-binding Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to collaborate in sourcing of coffee beans and roasting facilities relating to Starbucks entering retail operations in India initially.
  • Gujarat attracts 20.83 lakh cr investment in 2 days
  • Gandhinagar: Speaking at the final session of the summit, Modi said as many as 7,936 MoUs were signed by the state government with several industrial houses to invest in the state.
  • Gandhinagar Hotels to invest Rs 1,000 cr in Gujarat
  • Mumbai: "The MoU covers to establish two five stars hotels with total of 700 guest rooms along with club at GIFT Gandhinagar, which will be developed in phase 1 by 2013 with 300 guest rooms and phase II hotel with 400 guest rooms," Gandhinagar Hotels said in a filing to the Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE).
  • Taj group to open 43 new hotels in 4 yrs: Bickson
  • Mumbai: "We have a project pipeline of 43 properties across our brands. Timeline for the same is 36-48 months," Managing Director and Chief Executive of the company Raymond Bickson told reporters on the sidelines of an international summit organised by the Hotel Investment Forum India here today.
  • 96 held for tainted milk power scandal in China
  • Beijing: The accused were found to have used melamine-tainted milk powder as raw material to produce dairy products or sell such dairy products, a statement issued by China''s State Council''s Food Safety Commission said today.
  • CBI registers graft case against 3 Excise officials
  • Indore: CBI officials said the case, under different Sections of IPC and the Prevention of Corruption Act, was registered against R T Gulani, Assistant Commissioner, Reeta Nagarkar, Superintendent and Suneel Gawte, Inspector. Sudheer Wadhwani Food Processing, a private company, was also named in the FIR.
  • BCCI violated RBI's foreign investment guidelines
  • New Delhi: RBI, according to sources, has discovered violation of norms by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) with regard to foreign direct investment (FDI), transfer of money and opening of some accounts.
  • Food prices to soften in the coming weeks: Rangarajan
  • New Delhi: "I expect some softening of food prices in the coming weeks, coming months," Prime Minister''s Economic Advisory Council (PMEAC) Chairman C Rangarajan told PTI.
  • L&T exports its first nuclear equipment to USA
  • Mumbai: "These Canisters form a part of orders for 50 such units for three leading American nuclear power plant operators, to be manufactured in accordance with the US Code of Federal Regulations and Nuclear Safety Class 1 standards," the company said in a statement.
  • Govt to invest 5 lakh cr in Shipping sector by 2020
  • New Delhi: "The Maritime Agenda 2020 is a perspective plan that replaces the current National Maritime Development Project. We plan to take our port capacity to 3200 million tonnes (MT) from 617 MT on March 31, 2010," Shipping Minister G K Vasan said launching the policy.
  • RBI likely to hike rates, to hurt growth: Parekh
  • Gandhinagar: "The RBI may be looking at an increase (of short-term rates) at 25-50 basis points... But I personally feel that interest rates are already high and it will impact the growth of retail loans and housing," Parekh told reporters on the sidelines of 5th Global Summit of Vibrant Gujarat here.
  • J B Chemicals Q3 PAT up 28.95 pc to Rs 38.12 crore
  • New Delhi: The company had a PAT of Rs 29.56 crore in the same period corresponding fiscal.
  • IOC formally inks pacts with Nuke Power Corporation
  • Mumbai: With this agreement, the Corporation would be foraying into nuclear power generation, a press release issued here last night stated.
  • Cabinet decides to set up GoM on 'no-go' mining areas
  • New Delhi: The decision of the Union Cabinet is aimed at finding a pragmatic and balanced approach towards the issue of environmental clearances to mining areas, while ensuring ecology is not hurt, sources said.
  • HMT targetting turnover of about Rs 350 cr in FY'11
  • Kochi: State-owned HMT has presence in six sectors comprising watches, tractors, printing machinery, metal forming presses, die casting & plastic processing machinery, and CNC systems and bearings.
  • Infy Q3 net up 14 per cent; raises FY 2011 outlook
  • Bangalore: The country''s software major has raised the outlook for the next quarter and for the full 2010-11 fiscal on expectation of pick-up in demand for services from US and Europe markets.
  • Government clears FDI proposals worth Rs 4,340 cr
  • New Delhi: The Foreign Investment Promotion Board has cleared 19 foreign direct investment projects worth Rs 4,340 crore, including that of Tata Steel and Future Ventures.
  • PVR to invest around Rs 100-125-crore in FY 12
  • Mumbai: JP Morgan Mauritius Holding Ltd and ICICI Venture each hold 20 per cent stake in PVR Pictures, that came into existence in 2005 with its first production Aamir Khan-starrer ''Taare Zameen Par'', that released in 2007.
  • Wikipedia targets India for growth
  • New York: India was chosen because of its large population and increasing number of people using the internet especially through mobile phones, according to Sue Gardner, chief of Wikimedia, which is the non-profit organisation behind Wikipedia.
  • Global eco growing towards solid growth: WB
  • The World Bank estimates that global GDP, which expanded by 3.9 percent in 2010, will slow down to 3.3 percent in 2011 before reaching 3.6 percent in 2012.
  • Weather conditions to boost wheat production
  • "If the weather remains the same with less fog and lower temperature, which is essential for wheat production, we expect that total production will be around 309 tonnes in the current season," Agriculture Director Mukesh Gautam told PTI.
  • D-Street gives thumbs down to Infy numbers
  • Mumbai: Infosys Technologies today reported a 14.17 per cent growth in consolidated net profit at Rs 1,780 crore for the third quarter ended December 31, 2010, which according to market observers has failed to cheer the street.
  • Infosys cash dips by 3.77 pc to Rs 14,819 crore in Q3
  • Mumbai: As on December 31, cash and cash equivalents stood at Rs 14,819 crore, as against Rs 15,401 crore on September 30, 2010, the software exporter said in a filing to the Bombay Stock Exchange.
  • Infosys adds 5,311 people in Q3; headcount at 1.27 L
  • Mumbai: The company hired 11,067 employees in the third quarter this fiscal, but nearly 5,756 employees left the organisation during the same period, bringing the net addition at 5,311, the company said in a filing to the Bombay Stock Exchange.
  • Rupee advances by 13 paise vs USD in morning trade
  • Mumbai: At the Interbank Foreign Exchange (Forex) market, the local currency opened higher at 45.06/07 a dollar from its last close of 45.13/14 and firmed up further to 45.00 per dollar before quoting at 45.09/10 per dollar at 1030 hours.
  • Goa iron exports may plunge by Karnataka ban, strike
  • Panaji: Goa Mineral Ore Exporters Association (GMOEA) predicts a downfall OF at least 10 per cent in the iron ore exports, considering the trend till December 2010 when it exported 28 million tonnes of ore against the season''s expectation of 53 MT exports.
  • Infosys expects Q4 revenue between Rs 7,157-7,230 cr
  • New Delhi: Besides, for the fiscal year ended March 31, 2011, the company anticipates the revenues to be between Rs 27,408-Rs 27,481 crore, a year-on-year growth of 8.9 per cent to 9.1 per cent, Infosys said in a filing to the Bombay Stock Exchange.
  • Pigmy scheme a boon for low-income groups
  • Kolkata: "Those having a small income could open an account with daily minimum investment of Rs five for a period of six years, with any branch of the Syndicate Bank," its General Manager (Planning) K N Pandey told PTI over phone from Bangalore.
  • Infosys tanks nearly 4 pc after disappointing Q3 nos
  • Mumbai: The IT bellwether''s consolidated Q3 net profit grew by 14.17 per cent to Rs 1,780 crore against Rs 1,559 crore in the last quarter.
  • Rupee gains 6 paise against US dollar in early trade
  • Mumbai: Forex dealers said dollar's weakness against other major currencies kept the rupee's sentiment firm. However, lower opening at the stock markets capped its gains.
  • Sensex opens 117 points down on Infosys' results
  • Mumbai: Sensex slipped nearly 117 pts in the opening trade today, as IT stocks suffered setback after Infosys Technologies posted third quarter earnings lower than the expectations.
  • Infosys Q3 consolidated net up over 14 pc at 1,780 cr
  • Mumbai: The company had a net profit of Rs 1,559 crore in the December quarter of the previous fiscal (2009-10), Infosys said in a filing to the Bombay Stock Exchange.
  • Double-stack train to run between Gurgaon & Mundra
  • New Delhi: "All necessary preparations to run the double-stack container train are complete and it will be made operational anytime after getting the Research Designs and Standards Organisation (RDSO) approval," said a senior Railway Ministry official.
  • Tata Motors in MOU with Govt Polytechnic Nagpur
  • Nagpur: The MOU signed between the two expresses commitment to develop appropriate kind of manpower for RS&R sector which has remained neglected so far, a release said.
 Sports
  • How do cheer girls help cricket, PSC asks BCCI
  • New Delhi: While the BCCI top brass claimed that IPL would help the cause of cricket and attract more talent, it was at loss to explain the role of cheer girls, sources told PTI.
  • IOC suspends Ghana's national Olympic committee
  • The International Olympic Committee executive board took the decision after months of fruitless negotiations with Ghanaian officials. The members spoke on condition of anonymity pending an official announcement.
  • Kolkata to host Senior National TT from January 17
  • New Delhi: A total of 31 states, including 2 institutions will participate in the men''s team event, while in the women''s section 27 states, including 2 institutions, will vie for top honours.
  • Tight security arrangements for Feb 12 Games: DGP
  • Ranchi: "We have made an elaborate security planning, including installation of CCTVs," Jharkhand Director General of Police Neyaz Ahmed said at a news conference here.
  • Merchant, Mehta enter quarter-finals at snooker meet
  • Mumbai: The Mumbai-based former Asian champion rallied after dropping the opening two fames to beat his Hyderabad-based rival 4-2 for his fourth successive win in Group A at the Khar Gymkhana.
  • Modi's counsel slams BCCI reply to Parl Committee
  • Mumbai: "The response to the queries by certain senior BCCI officials are irresponsible and unbecoming of their positions.
  • Delhi signs up promising Unmukt Chand for IPL IV
  • New Delhi: "I am really happy to have signed up with Delhi Daredevils. It is big boost to my career. It will be a wonderful experience to share the dressing room with the likes of Virender Sehwag and Irfan Pathan," Chand told PTI.
  • India look to make presence felt against Bahrain
  • Following a troubled build-up to the tournament which saw the team suffer heavy defeats in international friendlies, the 0-4 result against the world number 26 was comparatively better then what many had expected.
  • Nadal, Wozniacki top seeds for Australian Open
  • Melbourne: With seedings no longer done on organisers'' discretion but purely on rankings, nine-time Grand Slam winner Nadal was named today as leading the men''s seedings from close rival Roger Federer, Novak Djokovic and Sweden''s Robin Soderling.
  • Tausif to lead Orissa in National TT championship
  • Cuttack: The Orissa State Table Tennis Association (OSTTA) today picked a five member men''s team and in the women''s section Samartha Prusty will be the sole participation for the premier tournament.
  • FIFA rankings: India down 2 places to 144th position
  • New Delhi: India, playing in the tournament after 27 years, started their campaign on a horrible note going down 0-4 to the Socceroos.
  • 'Asian Cup experience should spur India move ahead'
  • India are taking part in the Asian Cup for the first time after 1984 and Bin Hammam forsees the country becoming a strong side in future tournaments.
  • Oz pacer Clint Mckay out of ICC World Cup reckoning
  • Melbourne: Oz fast bowling stock has taken another significant blow before next month's WC in the subcontinent with paceman Mckay being diagnosed with a stress fracture in his left foot.
  • Lonwabo Tsotsobe cherishes Tendulkar's wicket
  • Durban: "I got a big wicket (Sachin) and I am happy for that. I am not going to predict anything related to that as I don''t want to get that man angry," Tsotsobe, who was adjudged man of the match yesterday, told reporters.
  • Bad start wrecked India's chances: skipper MS Dhoni
  • "We could have done better. When you are playing with four bowlers, you are under a bit of pressure, that if one of the bowler don''t bowl well then you have to make those overs with the part timers. Fortunately in this game our part timers bowled really well and they brought us back into the game," Dhoni told reporters here last night.
  • Lionel Messi hits three goals in Barcelona's 5-0 win
  • Madrid: Messi, who took the prize ahead of teammates Andres Iniesta and Xavi Hernandez on Monday, was honored before the first-leg match at the Camp Nou stadium yesterday. The Argentina forward then showed why he was voted world player of the year.
  • South Africa completely outplayed us: skipper Dhoni
  • Durban: Chasing 290 for victory, India suffered a top-order collapse and slumped to a humiliating 135-run defeat at the hands of a clinical South Africa in the first of the five ODIs at the Kingsmead here.
14.01.2011,Friday 
National
Internationl
  • Taliban kill policewoman, five of her family in Pak
  • Using heavy weaponry like rockets and assault rifles, about 12 Taliban militants stormed the home of head constable Shamshad Begum in the restive Hangu district of Khyber-Pakthunkhwa province, officials said.
  • Copenhagen summit ends with fatwa on sectarian violence
  • Copenhagen: "This fatwa ... condemns all atrocities against the Christians ... and also said this is totally against the Koran," Andrew White, head of the Foundation for Relief and Reconciliation in the Middle East (FRRME) and vicar of St.
  • Fourteen dead, including two soldiers, in Mexico clash
  • Xalapa (Mexico): An anonymous caller alerted soldiers to a suspected safe house on the outskirts of the city of Xalapa, the state capital, where they were met by gunfire, army spokesman general Rene Carlos Aguilar said.
  • Ban warns against attacks on UN in Ivory Coast
  • In the midst of the chaos following a disputed election in the West African nation, "regular and irregular forces" allied to Gbagbo attacked at least six UN vehicles and set one on fire, injuring a doctor and driver of an ambulance.
  • Israeli army to collect settler weapons: Report
  • Jerusalem: The move would affect hundreds of weapons handed out to settlers by the army at the start of the second intifada, or Palestinian uprising, which erupted in September 2000, the top-selling Yediot Aharonot daily reported.
  • US should facilitate solution to Kashmir issue: Pak
  • Synopsis of the story is not available
  • More than 500 dead in Brazil's worst flood disaster
  • Teresopolis (Brazil): Municipal officials in the Serrana region just north of Rio said at least 506 people were killed, surpassing the 437 toll from a 1967 mudslide that had been previously considered Brazil''s biggest disaster.
  • Judicial enquiry into Berlusconi and call girl: Press
  • Rome: The probe will consider whether Berlusconi abused his position on a night in May by telling police in Milan too free a call girl named Ruby, a minor at the time, according to the paper''s website.
  • 'Nepal Tourism Year' launched to boost foreign visitors
  • Top Nepalese leaders, including Prime Minister Madhav Nepal and chief of main opposition Maoist party Prachanda attended the function in the heart of the capital.
  • Pakistan raises acts of 'terrorist activities' in India
  • Islamabad: Pakistan Interior Minister Rehman Malik today expressed concern about "terrorist activities of Hindu extremists" in India.
  • India, China need to build 'more convergence': Rao
  • Singapore: "It is a truism that between two such large countries such as ours, relations will be complex and with continuing areas of divergence. The challenge remains to build more convergence and common ground," Rao said.
  • Pak Christians say blasphemy cases after review
  • Leaders of the Christian community have asked the Council of Islamic Ideology ? a constitutional body that advises the legislature whether a law is repugnant to Islam ? to send a recommendation to parliament regarding the registration of blasphemy cases only after a review by committee of religious leaders.
  • Nigerian Prez wins ruling party's primary election
  • Abuja: Jonathan received 2,736 votes while Abubakar got 805 votes. Only one vote was recorded in favour of the third contender, Sarah Jubril.
  • China sets goals to reduce emissions of pollutants
  • Beijing: The Ministry of Environmental Protection set a target to cut emissions of major pollutants such as sulfur dioxide, ammonia nitrogen and nitrogen oxide by 1.5 percent in 2011 compared to last year, a report on the ministry''s website said.
  • Kazakhstan paves way to extending president term
  • Almaty(Kazakhstan): A joint session of the lower and upper houses of parliament voted unanimously to change the constitution to allow the referendum.
  • Sikhs warned of screening of turbans at US airports
  • Washington: Already peeved by security pat downs, Sikhs in the US have been warned that they could now face 100 per cent screening of their turbans at American airports.
  • Sacked Chinese professor challenges 1-child policy
  • Beijing: In the lawsuit, Yang Zhizhu, an assistant professor at China Youth University for Political Sciences, said that the draconian measure aimed at controlling the population need to be revised, if not scrapped altogether.
  • SKorea blocks access to N Korea national Web domain
  • Seoul: The blockage by the South''s state-run Communications Standards Commission came less than a day after an expert said North Korea had renewed the use of its own national Web domain name of ".kp" in an apparent effort to widen public access to its propaganda sites.
  • SLanka flood toll up to 27, Indian assistance arrives
  • Colombo: The death toll in the floods has climbed to 27 while another 12 persons are still missing, the disaster management centre (DRC) said today.
  • Piracy incidents in asia increase by 60 per cent in '10
  • Singapore: The increase was largely because of an increase in incidents involving ships in ports and anchorages, according to the Regional Co-operation Agreement on Combating Piracy and Armed Robbery against Ships in Asia (ReCAAP)on Wednesday.
  • Bali facing environmental probs from rapid tourism
  • Among the environmental problems were water pollution and a decrease in the quality of natural resources and the Denpasar city''s environment, Chief of Guide Study at Hindu Dharma Negeri Institute (IHDN) I Ketut Sumadi said yesterday.
  • More than 500 dead in Brazil's worst-ever disaster
  • Teresopolis (Brazil): Brazil is suffering its worst-ever natural disaster after mudslides near Rio de Janeiro that killed more than 500 people, according to the latest toll today.
  • SKorea, US for a joint study on 'pyroprocessing'
  • Seoul: A nuclear accord signed with the US in 1974 prevents South Korea from reprocessing fuel from civilian nuclear plants. With the accord set to expire in 2014, Seoul and Washington have been in talks to rewrite the agreement since last year.
  • SKorean court orders airline to compensate crash victims' kin
  • PMTair''s Antonov An-24 crashed in southern Cambodia in June 2007 on its way to the beach resort town of Sihanoukville from Angkor International Airport in Siem Reap. All 44 passengers aboard were killed in the accident, including 13 tourists from South Korea.
  • SKorea tax agency steps up regular probe into big firms
  • Seoul: All companies whose annual sales exceed 500 billion won (USD 450 million) will be subject to the government''s regular tax probe without exception from next month, according to the National Tax Service (NTS).
  • SKorea needs to expand economic territory through FTAs
  • Seoul: "If we want to overcome our small domestic market and continue fast economic growth, we need to use overseas markets as our growth base by seeking FTAs," Finance Minister Yoon Jeung-hyun told a meeting of other economy-related policymakers.
  • Gates warns of civil-military disconnect in China
  • Tokyo: Gates was speaking in Japan during a week-long Asia tour focused on the threat posed by nuclear-armed North Korea and the increasing military assertiveness in the region of Pyongyang''s only major ally China.
  • Gates argues for keeping US forces in Japan
  • Tokyo: Making the case for a continued American military presence in Japan, Gates said in a speech at Keio University in Tokyo that US forces were crucial to meeting new security threats and challenges in the region.
  • Nigerian president wins primary election
  • Abuja (Nigeria): Jonathan cast himself as the leader able to change a nation both blessed by natural resources but cursed by years of military dictatorships. However, the regional and religious tensions that flared up during the primary persist across a country troubled by violence and extremism more than 40 years after the end of its brutal civil war.
  • More aid to Pak will affect Indo-US ties: US scholars
  • Highly critical of the latest move of the Obama Administration, reflected in the this week''s visit of the Vice President, Joe Biden, to Islamabad, wherein he offered more economic and military aid to Pakistan, they said that years of "engaging and bribing" Pakistan haven''t succeeded in getting Islamabad to reform its ways and is unlikely to do so now.
  • Tunisian leader says he will step down in 2014
  • Tunis (Tunisia): Facing the worst unrest in his 23 years in power, an unusually contrite President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali ordered prices on sugar, milk and bread slashed. Buoyant crowds spilled into the streets after his speech, many cheering his price cuts but some questioning his commitment to real change.
  • Philippines govt and Muslim rebels to resume talks
  • Manila(Philippines): The government wants to replace Othman Abdul Razak, an official in the Malaysian prime minister''s office who has mediated for the last seven years in the efforts to grant minority Muslims in the southern Philippines broad autonomy in exchange for ending a decades-long bloody insurgency. The rebel Moro Islamic Liberation Front wants to retain him.
  • Parents can learn from Arizona shooting: Michelle
  • Michelle, who joined her husband US President Barack Obama at a memorial service for the victims, issued an open letter to parents.
  • US to work with India to crackdown on pirated movies
  • Observing that both the pirated Bollywood movies and the counterfeit pharmaceuticals have been causing huge financial losses, Matthew King, Deputy Director Homeland Security Investigations, National Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) Co-ordination Center, told foreign journalists that such a crackdown would intensify in 2011.
  • Ten Bangladeshis fined for overstaying in Sri Lanka
  • Colombo: Kandy magistrate courts fined them Rs 50,000 each after they admitted to illegally staying in the country.
  • 50 Cent makes USD 8 million after Twitter promotion
  • New York: The 35-year-old star helped boost the shares of marketing company H & H Imports after plugging it on the social networking site this weekend.
  • Third Mexican mayor shot dead this year
  • Oaxaca (Mexico): Luis Jimenez Mata, who only took up his post in Santiago Amoltepec at the start of year, was shot dead yesterday as he arrived at his offices in nearby Oaxaca City, capital of Oaxaca state, said Manuel de Jesus Lopez.
  • NASA says La Nina fueling Australia floods
  • Washington: "Although exacerbated by precipitation from a tropical cyclone, rainfalls of historic proportion in eastern Queensland, Australia have led to levels of flooding usually only seen once in a century," said David Adamec, oceanographer at NASA''s Goddard Space Flight Center.
  • Raise Tibet issue with Hu Jintao: Tibetan Americans to Obama
  • As many as 39 Tibetan Associations, organisations and support groups in a letter, appealed to Obama to make Tibet a substantive part of the agenda when he meets Chinese President Hu Jintao at the White House.
  • Zardari to meet Obama on his Washington visit today
  • "President Obama will meet with President Zardari of Pakistan here at the White House tomorrow," White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs told reporters at his daily news conference yesterday.
  • Over 400 dead in Brazil's worst disaster in decades
  • Teresopolis (Brazil): Scenes of horror unfolded near Rio, after torrents of mud and water swept down crowded hillsides killing more than 430 people in worst natural disaster in decades.
  • United States warns China on protectionist 'folly'
  • Washington: Speaking a week ahead of President Hu Jintao''s visit to Washington, Locke called on Beijing to back up "statements of principle" that favour reform with "concrete results." Complaining that US firms still face massive hurdles in doing business in China, from discrimination to the theft of intellectual property rights, Locke said words were no longer enough.
  • Chinese general to head UN peacekeeping force
  • United Nations: The part British-educated Major General Chao Liu, 51, takes over as force commander of the UN Peacekeeping Force in Cyprus (UNFICYP) from Rear Admiral Mario Sanchez Debernardi of Peru.
  • Bulgarian helicopter crew kidnapped in Sudan
  • Khartoum: The trio, seized by unidentified gunmen, were reportedly well.
  • Tunisian president to address nation amid violence
  • Tunis: The president, who has been in power for 23 years, also said in an address to the nation that he does not wish to seek another term in office.
  • US judge OKs USD 7.2B deal against Madoff beneficiary
  • New York: US Bankruptcy Judge Burton Lifland signed off on the deal at the urging of a court-appointed trustee seeking to recover funds for thousands of investors burned by Madoff''s epic Ponzi scheme.
  • US sanctions 24 shipping companies over Iran trade
  • Washington: The Treasury said the shipping firms were affiliated with the Islamic Republic of Iran Shipping Lines (IRISL) and two units tied to the Iranian defence ministry''''s Aerospace Industries Organisation (AIO), both of which are under international sanctions for their roles in Iran''''s weapons programme.
  • Judges sceptical of detainee case against Rumsfeld
  • Washington: In courtroom arguments, two of the three judges seemed sceptical that Rumsfeld and three US military officials could face damage claims for exercising command responsibility over subordinates accused of torturing prisoners. Nine prisoners have filed suit.
  • Egypt charges policeman in shooting of Christian
  • Cairo: The prosecutor''s office said in a statement today that Amer Ashour Abdel-Zaher faces several charges, the most serious of which is premeditated murder. He could face the death sentence, if convicted.
  • Lebanon in turmoil as caretaker government steps in
  • Beirut: President Michel Sleiman called on the government to continue in a caretaker capacity and said he would on Monday launch consultations with parliamentary groups on appointing a new premier, who must be a Sunni Muslim in line with tradition.
  • Congresswoman Gifford shows dramatic improvement
  • Congresswoman Gifford was shot in the brain at close range by a gunman while she was meeting her constituents in Tuscon, Arizona. The gunman, who went on a shooting rampage after firing at Giffords also killed six people, including a federal judge and a nine-year-old girl.
  • Biden addresses United States troops in Baghdad
  • Baghdad: Biden, speaking to some 400 soldiers in Baghdad, also said the US would continue to train and equip Iraqi forces beyond 2011. His remarks highlighted continuing uncertainty about whether all American troops will head home by the end of the year as required by a security agreement between the two nations.
  • Two Afghanistan civilians killed in violence: NATO
  • Kabul: The child was killed by a bomb outside a music cassette shop in a marketplace in Jalalabad, some 80 miles east of Kabul, said Ahmad Zia Abdulzai, a spokesman for Nangarhar province. NATO said three other civilians were wounded in the blast.
  • Astronaut Kelly 'hopeful' to lead Endeavour launch
  • Washington: However the US space agency announced a backup commander just in case, and said he would begin training with the rest of the astronauts next week.
  • Italy's top court scales back Berlusconi immunity
  • Rome: The Constitutional Court eliminated a clause in the law that grants Berlusconi automatic immunity, arguing instead that judges should decide on a case-by-case basis if the Italian leader should appear in court proceedings.
  • EU to discuss nuclear issue despite Iran refusal
  • Istanbul: "Our purpose in meeting is to now look for tangible credible ways to make a move forward..." she added.
  • Baboons make sweet discovery in South Africa
  • Johannesburg: South African farmer Alwyn van der Merwe said workers noticed several years ago that one of his tangerine trees was already stripped of fruit when the other trees were ready for picking. The same thing happened the next year, and the next.
Business
  • 'Indians' finance literacy levels better than most others'
  • Mumbai: Indians turn out to be the second out of 10 leading nations in the world to have a basic financial literacy level (55 per cent), just behind the Japanese, an ING Consumer Resourcefulness Survey, said.
  • Vodafone made no capital gains: British envoy
  • New Delhi: "We believe that Vodafone have not made capital gain, which would attract the proposed tax. But these issues are lying in the Indian Supreme Court, we respect the court of land ... but we have an opinion," Stagg told reporters here.
  • Citi fraud: Puri sent to 14 days' judicial custody
  • Gurgaon: Chief Judicial Magistrate D N Bhardwaj ordered Puri to be taken into judicial remand for 14 days till January 28 at a hearing today. Puri has been in police custody for the past 14 days in connection with the fraud.
  • Expect to launch IPO in a couple of months: SRL
  • New Delhi: The company also said it plans to invest Rs 100 crore in 2011 to add another 40 new laboratories.
  • Wages rising, efficiency declining, says govt survey
  • New Delhi: The average annual wage of factory workers rose by over 9 per cent to Rs 68,103 between 2007-08 and 2008-09, says Annual Survey of Industries (ASI) which was released here by Chief Statistician T C A Anant today.
  • Govt taking steps to protect vessels from pirates
  • New Delhi: "The government is serious on the issue and is taking all possible measures for the safety of Indian vessels," Shipping Secretary K Mohandas told PTI.
  • TRAI extends date of receiving comments to Jan 21
  • New Delhi: Earlier, the date to submit views was January 14, TRAI said in a statement.
  • RBI will take right action to stablise prices: Pranab
  • New Delhi: Amid expectations that RBI will hike policy rates to tame high inflation, Mukherjee today said the central bank will take appropriate monetary action to stabilise prices.
  • FCI to hire 9,000 professionals in next 3 years
  • New Delhi: "We will fill-up approximately 9,000 posts in various categories in next three years," FCI Chairman and Managing Director Siraj Hussain said during the launch of the revamped website of the organisation.
  • India's vegetable oil import declines 4 pc in Dec
  • New Delhi: India''s import of vegetable oil declines by 4.4 per cent to 7.52 lakh tonnes in December, 2010, according to the data compiled by Solvent Extractor''s Association of India (SEA).
  • WB approves USD 162.7 mn loan to Rajasthan
  • New Delhi: The funding for the Rajasthan Rural Livelihoods Project will help improve economic opportunities for rural communities, especially women and marginal groups, in 9000 villages of the state, the World Bank said in a statement.
  • China's GDP set to slowdown by 9 pc: World Bank
  • China''s GDP growth rate will slow to 8.7 per cent this year from 10 per cent in 2010. Amid credit-tightening measures to combat inflation and surging property prices, China''s growth is expected to ease to 8.4 per cent in 2012, the bank said.
  • Pakistan Onion exports to India not resumed
  • Lahore: The supplies through the land route has been stuck as authorities have made it mandatory for exporters to possess "irrevocable letters of credit" issued before January 4.
  • 'Temasek keen on investing in Indian energy sector'
  • Singapore: "We had a breakfast meeting with Temasek chairman Ho Ching during which Singapore''s investment in the Indian energy sector was discussed," Deora told PTI here.
  • HDFC net up 33 per cent at Rs 891 crore
  • Mumbai: The firm had posted a net profit of Rs 671.2 crore during the corresponding quarter in the previous fiscal, HDFC said in a statement.
  • LIC reduces stake in HUL to 6.95 per cent
  • Mumbai: LIC, which held 8.949 per cent in the FMCG firm as on November 21, 2007, has sold 45,935,297 shares aggregating to 2 per cent stake in the company at a value of Rs 1,254.6 crore, HUL said in a filing to the Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE).
  • Kizashi set for debut, Maruti ready for bigger game
  • New Delhi: The vehicle, to be imported fully from parent Suzuki''s facility in Japan, will be positioned between likes of Honda Accord and Toyota Camry at the upper end and Honda Civic, Volkswagen Jetta and Toyota Corolla at lower end. These cars are priced around Rs 12 lakh to Rs 20 lakh.
  • Subsidised Nafed onions selling like hot cakes in Delhi
  • New Delhi: "Onions of all the 20 mobile vans (carrying about 500 kg each) sold within two hours of setting out in the morning," Nafed chairman Bijendra Singh told PTI.
  • TN govt for removing sugar from futures trading
  • Chennai: A decision in this regard was taken at a review meeting chaired by Chief Minister M Karunanidhi on the price situation and attended by his Deputy M K Stalin, Finance Minister K Anbazhagan and Food Minister E V Velu and top officials.
  • GAIL signs contract to import LNG cargo from Qatar
  • New Delhi: GAIL has signed contract with RasGas of Qatar to import one cargo of liquefied natural gas (natural gas cooled to -162 degree Celcius to temporarily convert it into liquid form for ease of transporting in cryogenic ships) this month, a source privy to the development said.
  • 'India to give sops to job-oriented export sectors'
  • Singapore: Job-oriented sectors such as tea, cashew, apparel, carpets, leather, textiles & handicrafts continue to face weak demand in traditional markets such as Europe and the US.
  • Centre must evolve its price policy to rein in inflation
  • Patna: More effective steps are required to rein in the skyrocketing prices of essential commodities, especially onions and tomatoes, he said here.
  • SEC probes sovereign funds deal, says a report
  • New York: "The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) is investigating whether banks and private-equity firms, violated bribery laws in their dealings with sovereign-wealth funds," The Wall Street Journal reported citing a source.
  • India set to open trade with East Asian nations
  • Comprehensive pacts for elimination of duties and removal of obstacles will be signed with Japan and Malaysia in February, Commerce and Industry Minister Anand Sharma said here.
  • ZEEL Q3 grows by 6.15 per cent at Rs 155.45 crore
  • Mumbai: The company had posted a net profit after tax of Rs 146.43 crore in the October-December quarter in 2009, ZEEL said in a filing to the Bombay Stock Exchange.
  • Max Healthcare to open four new hospitals this year
  • New Delhi: "Max Healthcare will be opening four new hospitals with an average bed capacity of 250-300 with an average bed cost of nearly 45 lakh," Max healthcare CEO and Managing Director Pervez Ahmed told PTI.
  • Tata Motors global sales up 21 pc in Dec; JLR flat
  • New Delhi: Jaguar Land Rover sales were at 21,353 units during December, up just one per cent from the same month in the previous year, Tata Motors said in a statement.
  • LoC trade: Rs 178 crore exports, Rs 297 cr imports
  • Jammu: "Cross LOC trade has been rising sharply. The facts and figures reveal that there has been sharp increase on LOC trade during last two years of coalition government", Minister for Industries and Commerce, S S Salathia said, while rubbishing the statement of PDP patron Mufti Mohammad Syed on cross LOC trade, terming it misleading and far fetched.
  • IBM gets 5,896 US patents in '10;highest for 18th yr
  • New Delhi: According to the IFI Patent Intelligence, which maintains US patent databases, IBM received a record 5,896 US patents in 2010.
  • Forms & Gears forays into auto component manufacturing
  • Chennai: A separate division has been opened equipped with CNC machining centres and CMM''s to cater to this requirement, headed by Former Executive Director of Simpson & Co N Ramani, a company release said.
  • Sensex erases morning losses, up 189 points
  • Mumbai: The Bombay Stock Exchange benchmark Sensex, which had declined by 90 points or 0.9 per cent at the outset, recovered by 189.32 points or 0.98 per cent to 19,772.11 points at 1230 hrs.
  • 'Internet provider fails to deliver what they advertise'
  • New Delhi: According to a test conducted by Sri Lanka-based research firm LIRNEasia ''Recent Quality of Service Experience (QoSE)'', majority of the packages tested within India, failed to deliver even 80 per cent of the advertised speeds, most of the service providers fail to deliver a mere 20 per cent of what was publicised.
  • '80 pc of fake products in US originates from China'
  • "As much as 80 per cent of the fake products seized in the US are originating from China," US officials have said, adding that such large scale dumpings have been going on for the past five years.
  • Railways hopeful of achieving earning target: Sahai
  • New Delhi: "We are confident of achieving earnings targets of Rs 94,765 crores due to the positive growth in parcel loadings and in fertiliser and foodgrains among others," Railway Board Chairman Vivek Sahai told PTI.
  • HDFC slides 2 per cent on BSE ahead of Q3 earnings
  • Mumbai: Continuing its fall for the second straight session, shares of HDFC witnessed a plunge of 1.93 per cent to touch an early low of Rs 655 a piece on the BSE. The scrip, yesterday, had fallen by 1.96 per cent on BSE.
  • SAIL tanks 6 pc, stock at year-low after poor Q3 nos
  • Mumbai: Hit by rising raw material costs, the company posted 33.9 per cent dip in its net profit at Rs 1,107.47 crore for the quarter ended December 31, 2010, against Rs 1,675.55 crore in the same quarter last fiscal.
  • Rupee falls by 6 paise vs US dollar in early trade trade
  • Mumbai: The domestic unit early morning today was trading at Rs 45.30 a dollar, 6 paise lower from the yesterday's close at the Interbank Foreign Exchange (Forex) market. Yesterday, it had closed 11 paise lower at Rs 45.24/25 a dollar.
  • Benchmark sensex slips 90 points on rate hike fears
  • Mumbai: The 30-share Bombay Stock Exchange barometer lost 90.53 points to 19,092.29 level, with financial, realty, auto and metal sector stocks leading the fall. It had plunged 351.28 points in the previous session.
  • Ahuja joins SBI's UK ops as head consumer banking
  • London: Ahuja was previously working as the head of the NRI banking of Barclays Plc - Europe. He has also served as a Vice President at Citi Bank, UK, marketing head at ICICI Bank UK, Marketing manager in UK at Zee and UK Relationship manager at the American Express in Mumbai.
  • 'India, China wage rise relieves pressure on US wages'
  • Washington: Low wages in emerging economies like India & China results added pressure on the US, an Obama admin official said, also rise in wages here would assist in low pressure.
  • Address concerns of foreign businesses: US to China
  • Commerce Secretary Gary Locke asserted that levelling the playing field for US businesses in the Chinese market will help spur global innovation and economic growth and create jobs in America.
  • Nigeria's anti-graft body detains 12 oil executives
  • Abuja: The spokesman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Femi Babafemi said the agency suspected the executives were involved in offering bribes to Nigerian officials and therefore had their travel documents seized.
  • World oil prices climb close to another two-year peak
  • London: Brent North Sea crude for delivery in February climbed as high as USD 98.67 per barrel in afternoon deals, after peaking yesterday at USD 98.85 - which was the highest level since early October 2008.
Sports
15.01.2011,Saturday
National
  • CID files charge-sheets in land grabbing cases
  • Bangalore: In the first case, the CID filed charge-sheet against three government servants in connection with the alleged grabbing of prime land worth about Rs 20 crore here belonging to Muzarai (Religious Endowment) Department, a CID release said today.
  • Scams led to inflation, Kirit Somaiya
  • Indore: "Rupees four lakh-crore worth scams are linked to 2G spectrum, Commonwealth Games and rice export. After these scams, inflation in the country has shot up," Somaiya told reporters here.
  • Jungpura gets back to normal, Pushp Vihar tense
  • New Delhi: It was peaceful in Jungpura throughout the day where Delhi Development Authority (DDA) demolished a mosque Wednesday morning, prompting devotees to indulge in violence and block traffic. However, tension was defused after government allowed devotees to offer prayers at the site.
  • 102 killed in stampede, judicial probe announced
  • Kerala Chief Minister V S Achuthanandan announced a judicial inquiry into last night''s tragedy and declared a solatium of Rs five lakh each for families of those killed.
  • ED files chargesheet against Koda aide
  • Ranchi: Sources said Sinha, along with other aides of the former Chief Minister, was allegedly involved in investing laundered money to the tune of more than Rs 600 crore in India and abroad on behalf of Koda.
  • AIBEA to take out morcha to Parliament on Feb 23
  • Nagpur: "The AIBEA is opposed to privatisation of banks and merger of medium and small banks into big banks. After the February 23 morcha, we will also give a call for bank strike in late March or early April," General Secretary of AIBEA C H Venkatarchalam told reporters today.
  • On Maya's B'day, Kanpur admin distributes gifts
  • Kanpur: Under various schemes, a total of 1147 people today got benefits, estimated to be worth of Rs 4.46 crore.
  • Mirchpur residents stage dharna on rlwy tracks
  • Jind: Police personnel have been deployed in strength to maintain peace in view of the dharna by members of the Jat community on both the railway tracks on a distance of about one km leading to the Jind Junction station.
  • 'PMO-NAC exchange of views on food security positive'
  • New Delhi: "Right to Food is most comprehensive and revolutionary step contemplated in Indian history and if detailed discussion and exchange of views are happening between NAC and PMO so that a proper law is enacted, it should be taken positively," party spokesperson Manish Tewari told reporters here.
  • Sheila reviews situation at site of demolished mosque
  • New Delhi: At a meeting, attended by top officials, Dikshit said all possible measures should be taken to restore normalcy in the area.
  • Former aide of Orissa MP arrested for attacking him
  • New Delhi: Prabhat Kumar Sharma alias Swamy was arrested from South Avenue on a tip-off last night after he went there to meet some relative, a senior police official said.
  • Navy to commission UAVs squadron at Porbandar
  • Ahmedabad: "The squadron will comprise four units of two Israeli-made Searcher and Heron UAVs. It will help in strengthening our coastal surveillance in the Arabian Sea along the coast of Gujarat," a senior Navy official said.
  • Moves afoot to table privilege motion against CAG
  • New Delhi: "We are seriously examining whether a case of privilege can be made out against the CAG or not," sources in party said, a day after it unleashed an attack on the government auditor.
  • Scam-tainted Tiwari to meet Maharashtra Governor
  • Mumbai: "The Governor has granted appointment tomorrow to Tiwari," Raj Bhavan spokesperson said.
  • DMU coach factory site to be decided soon: Mamata
  • Kolkata: The Railways has selected three sites and I am looking into them, Banerjee said while laying foundation stone for the extension of Metro railway upto Barasat in North 24-Parganas district.
  • Bengal minister's car attacked, he escapes unhurt
  • Hooghly (WB): The police said Bera was getting into his car after coming out of a polytechnic, earlier inaugurated by the state''s Technical Education Minister Chakradhar Maikap, when some members of a procession, taken out by local Trinamool Congress unit, hit his car with bamboo sticks and lathis.
  • Cold claims 3 more lives in UP, toll climbs to 130
  • Lucknow: One death each was reported from Bhadohi, Maharajganj and Chandauli due to cold conditions, officials said here today.
  • Cop suspended for misbehaving with rape victim
  • Banda: Jabbar Ahmad, who was posted at Attra police station, has been placed under suspension for misbehaving with the rape victim at the police station, Superintendent of Police Anil Das said.
  • 1 killed, 24 injured in agitation against land acquisition
  • Aurangabad (Bihar): Auranagabad Superintendent of Police Vivek Raj Singh said farmers protesting against the acquisition of 1700 acres of arable land by the state government for the 2000 mw power project by NTPC squatted on railway tracks near the station.
  • Six get life term in Sachin-Saurav kidnap plot
  • New Delhi: Additional Sessions Judge Pinki sentenced all the six convicts to maximum life term under stringent Prevention of Terrorism Act (POTA) saying the punishment "must send a clear message that India is not nor will it become a safe haven for terrorists".
  • 'Unlicensed entry of vehicles cause for tragedy'
  • Vandiperiyar (Ker): The presence of a large number of mini-vehicles like jeeps and autorickshaws without permission or control through the forested tekking route, part of Periyar Tiger Reserve, also proved fatal, according to forest department sources.
  • 102 killed in stampede, judicial probe announced
  • Kerala Chief Minister V S Achuthanandan announced a judicial inquiry into last night''s tragedy and declared a solatium of Rs five lakh each for the families of those killed.
  • Court records statement of Swami Aseemanand
  • Panchkula (Haryana): Assemanand was produced in the court of Chief Judicial Magistrate (CJM) Judge Rakesh Singh amid tight police security and his statement was recorded in-camera till 5:15 pm.
  • Situation in J&K does not allow cut down of troops: Army
  • Jammu: Keeping in view the present situation in Kashmir, AFSPA must stay as it is must for the Army, he said, adding that the Army is firm on its stand over AFSPA.
  • Gadkari shocked over Sabarimala temple tragedy
  • New Delhi: "Nitin Gadkari has expressed his deep shock and dismay at the loss of lives in an unfortunate accident at the holy temple shrine of Sabarimala in Kerala and in the resultant stampede. He has conveyed his condolences to the bereaved families which have lost their near and dear ones in the tragedy," BJP spokesperson Rajiv Pratap Rudy said.
  • No incursion along Sino-Indian border: GOC-in-C
  • Jammu: "There are transgressions and these are sorted out at flag meetings between the two countries," said General Officer Commanding in Chief, Northern Command, Lt. Gen. K T Parnaik.
  • No recommendation by EC to lower voting age to 16
  • New Delhi: "No such proposal has been made by the Election Commission to the government. There is no recommendation to this type by the Commission or the Chief Election Commissioner, the EC said in a press release.
  • India needs to be knowledge driven, says Kalam
  • Bhubaneswar: "It is necessary for India to raise annual growth rate to ten per cent for the next ten years from the present level of about eight per cent in order to become economically strong and advanced," Kalam said at a function at Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan here.
  • Am like an antique piece in Indian politics: Pranab
  • Kolkata: "I am one of the oldest politicians alive, almost an antique in the political arena and who has been sticking to the wicket for the last five decades occasionally expressing a desire to retire, but still somehow sticking to the wicket," the 75-year-old Congress veteran said.
  • Central registration of marriages important: Dhalla
  • Moga: Ruby Dhalla, who arrived here on the invitation of Lok Bhalai Party Chairman BS Ramuwalia yesterday, said she met 50 women who have been deceived by the NRIs after marriage and assured them of all possible help.
  • Mayawati doles out Rs 4,000 cr projects on her b'day
  • Lucknow: She took the opportunity to hit out at the opposition and a section of the media, saying they indulge in "baseless talks which shows their casteist attitude towards dalits".
  • Hon D Sc degree for architect of India's 1st test baby
  • Kolkata: Unfortunately the path-breaking achievement of Mukhopadhyay was not recognised by the medical fraternity, which saddened the scientist so much that he committed suicide three years later.
  • Bill for right to justice on the anvil, says Moily
  • Chennai: "Just like the right to education and right to health, there is a need for the country to have a right to justice," he told reporters here on the sidelines of a function here.
  • Sanjay Mahendroo granted bail in CWG scam case
  • New Delhi: Mahendroo, a joint director general in the CWG OC, has been in jail since November 15 last year after he was arrested along with his colleague T S Darbari.
  • Narayanan asks WB govt to act to curb violence
  • Kolkata: "This is the time to act in the given situation (political violence) and not the time to discuss," the Governor told reporters during his visit to Dakshineswar Adyapeeth temple near here.
  • TN announces Rs 1L each for next of kin of victims
  • Chennai: Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M Karunanidhi expressed his condolences to families of the victims of the tragedy and directed that compensation be paid from the Chief Minister''s General Relief Fund, a state government release here said.
  • Army to observe 2011 as 'Year of the Disabled Soldier'
  • New Delhi: "We have been giving great respect to our martyred soldiers and the time has come to give due honour to our soldiers who have been disabled in operations. For this, 2011 will be the year of the disabled soldier," Army chief General V K Singh said while addressing the 63rd Army day parade here.
  • Strike call by Hurriyat Conference hits life in Kashmir
  • Srinagar: All shops, business establishments and private offices remained closed on account of the strike called by Geelani, officials said.
  • 250 kite flying accidents mark Sakranti in Rajasthan
  • Jaipur: Around 30 children were rushed to different hospitals after they accidentally fell from their roofs while flying kites in different parts of the city.
  • Ordnance depot land sale: Khanna moots CBI probe
  • Mumbai: "The ordnance depot land was on hire with us. There was no reason why this land should have been sold to a builder unless we had cleared it," Lt Gen Pradeep Khanna, GOC-in-C Southern Command, said.
  • Ktk announces Rs 1 lakh for next of kin of pilgrims
  • Bangalore: Condoling the loss of lives, Chief Minister B S Yeddyurappa also said that Rs 25,000 would be paid to those injured.
  • JK makes 55 posts in 8 new districts, promotes 7 IAS
  • Jammu: The Cabinet which met here under the Chairmanship of Chief Minister Omar Abdullah yesterday approved creation of 55 posts in the Public Works (R&B) Department and Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs Department for newly created eight districts - Kishtwar, Bandipora, Ganderbal, Kulgam, Shopian, Samba, Reasi and Ramban.
  • 50K compensation for beggar dumped in garbage bin
  • Panaji: The compensation amount will be recovered from the salary of the guilty policemen, the NHRC said in its recent order.
  • Temple stampedes claimed over 900 lives in last 9 yrs
  • New Delhi: Most recently, on March 4, 2010, about 63 people were killed and 15 injured when a gate at Kripalu Maharaj''s Ashram at Pratapgarh in Uttar Pradesh collapsed during distribution of food on the occasion of a ritual, for which nearly 10,000 people had converged.
  • Headmaster, 2 teachers suspended for duty dereliction
  • Jammu: During a surprise visit by the Director School Education M A Qurashi to the schools of Surinsar belt of Jammu district, two teachers - Vina Devi and Sarita Devi -and school headJoginder Singh were found absent from their duty yesterday, they said, adding all the three were suspended.
  • Youth killed in Muzaffarnagar, honour killing suspected
  • Muzaffarnagar: Prince Gupta was allegedly beaten to death yesterday in Ismaeelpur village in Bijnore district by relatives of his girlfriend, Sunita, who were opposed to their relationship.
  • JK govt declares its 37 villages as backward areas
  • Jammu: Jammu and Kashmir govt has declared 37 villages in the state as Backward Areas, besides granting approval to the inclusion of Sheer Gojries in the list of Social Caste (SC).
  • CPI(M) two-day politburo meeting begins in Kolkata
  • Kolkata: The crucial meeting was likely to discuss growing political clashes including that at Netai village in Lalgarh where eight persons were killed which has put the Left Front government in a tight situation.
  • Three killed, four injured in road mishap in Jaipur
  • Jaipur: The incident occurred near Kolari area when the victims were on their way to Dholpur from Basainawab town, they said.
  • Oberoi among those who worshiped at Ayyappa shrine
  • Sabarimala: Oberoi, who reached here on Thursday night, witnessed the ''Makara Jytohi'' and left for Mumbai, sources said.
  • Maya orders release of Banda girl; to fast-track trial
  • Lucknow: "The CM has ordered the release of the girl currently lodged in Banda Jail on the basis of a report submitted by the CB-CID," an official spokesman said. He said that there was a provision under which the Chief Minister can order release of an undertrial if it has been settled that the case was "fake".
  • Pullumedu bursting with religious fervour before tragedy
  • Vandiperiyar (Ker): The tragedy was all the more heart rending as most victims hailing from Tamil Nadu were rushing home to celebrate ''pongal'' festival today with the satisfaction of having had a good darshan of ''Makaravilakku.'' The accident spot, almost like a ground, provided an ideal location for devotees to take rest during the arduous downhill journey from Sabarimala temple after witnessing the ''Makara Jyoti'' (celestial light) on the Eastern horizon that marks the finale of the two month long pilgrimage season.
  • Vaishnodevi hills get snowfall, old cave-route reopened
  • Jammu: There was fresh snowfall in Trikuta hills - abode of the Shrine, during the night following which cold conditions aggravated further, Shrine Board Officials said today.
  • JK grants 188 acres land to Central Varsity Kashmir
  • Jammu: The state cabinet under the chairmanship of Chief Minister Omar Abdullah yesterday approved transfer of state land measuring 1501 kanals and 05 marlas (188 acres) of land situated in villages Kurhama, Tulmulla and Zarigund of district Ganderbal in favour of Jammu and Kashmir Higher Education Department for construction and establishment of Central University Kashmir.
  • 'Theft charge over Banda girl seem to be a conspiracy'
  • Lucknow: "The charges of theft on the girl appeared to be part of a conspiracy of the MLA to hide his misdeed (rape)," Mayawati said while addressing people at a function here on her 55th birthday.
  • Bikaner coldest in Rajasthan at 5 degree Celcius
  • Jaipur: Churu and Sriganganagar recorded night temperature of 6.2 and 6.4 degrees Celsius respectively.
  • Mercury rises in Punjab, Haryana; cold waves relent
  • Chandigarh: Chandigarh had a minimum of 12.7 deg C, up by 7 notches above normal. It also recorded a rainfall of 1.4 mm, MeT office said today.
  • Fake currency seized in Baramullah area, 1 arrested
  • Srinagar: Acting on a tip-off, police intercepted the accused at a checkpoint near Babateng on National Highway 1A in Baramulla district, they said.
  • J-K highway closed for second day due to snowfall
  • Jammu: "The highway remained closed for second day today due to heavy snowfall at Jawahir tunnel and Patnitop. The road has been very slippery and at several places.", Senior Superintendent of Police, Highway, Kifayat Hyder told PTI.
  • Three arrested for smuggling of fire arms in Bahraich
  • Bahraich: Sanjit Bairagi, Devanand Vishwas and Sunil Tiwari were arrested yesterday on a tip off from Payagpur area here, they said.
  • Bus falls into river: 13 persons killed, eight wounded
  • Varanasi: The bus carrying 21 passengers plunged into the Varuna river after hitting the railing along the river, District Collector Ravindra said.
  • UP promotes 11 ADG-rank officers to Special DG rank
  • Lucknow: The officers promoted included ADG, Police Training, Sitapur H S Balwaria, MD, UP Police Housing Corporation, Ramesh Sehgal, ADG, Human Rights B M Saraswat, ADG, UP Power Corporation Limited Shailja Kant Mishra and ADG, Law and order Brijlal.
  • Mishap spot: Grasslands frequented by tigers, leopards
  • Vandiperiyar (Ker): The area is known as ''Pulmedu'' as it is a large stretch of grassland in Periyar Wildlife Reserve in the Western Ghats.
  • Four children killed as train hits tempo in Punjab
  • Ferozepur: Four school children were killed when their tempo was hit by a passenger train at an unmanned level crossing near a village in Ferozepur district amid dense fog this morning.
  • 'Solar energy use in cell towers can cut CO2 emission'
  • Pune: With the number of mobile phone users in the country swelling rapidly, telecom operators are going in for more high-intensity cellphone towers for better network efficiency entailing a massive consumption of diesel - about two billion litres every year -- for power generation to run them, said the study released by ''Future Energy'' periodical published by Maharashtra Energy Development Agency (MEDA).
  • Warm morning for Delhi, min goes up to 10 degrees
  • New Delhi: The low was recorded at 10 degree Celsius, three degrees above normal for this time of the season and four degrees more than yesterday''''s minimum of 6.1 degree Celsius.
  • Flights disrupted at Kolkata airport due to heavy fog
  • Kolkata: No flights could take off or land from 2 AM as the fog density was around 50 m leading to very low visibility, airport officials said.
  • PM condoles death of Sabarimala temple pilgrims
  • New Delhi: He expressed condolence to the bereaved families and spoke to Kerala Chief Minister V S Achuthanandan about the tragedy.
  • Prez condoles death tragedy of Sabarimala pilgrims
  • New Delhi: Prez Pratibha Patil today condoled the death of Sabarimala pilgrims in a stampede at Pullumedu. In a letter to the Kerala CM & governor, she expressed grief over the tragedy.
  • Recall AP Governor: senior  BJP leader Dattatreya
  • Guntur: "The Governor had parleys with actor Chiranjeevi''''s Praja Rajyam Party and with Majlis Ittehadul Muslimeen (MIM) to ward off political crises caused by the Jagan factor and save the N Kiran Kumar Reddy government," Dattatreya told reporters here.
International
  • US Marine kills Afghan policeman after dispute
  • Kabul: The military coalition said the two men had a dispute at a patrol base in Sangin, a volatile district of Helmand province.
  • Taliban torch 16 NATO tankers in Pakistan
  • Quetta (Pakistan): The convoy was attacked before dawn outside the town of Dera Murad Jamali, some 400 kilometres southeast of Quetta, the capital of restive Baluchistan province, local administration chief Abdul Fatah Khajjak said.
  • Defiant Iran says enriching uranium 'strongly'
  • Tehran: The declaration by foreign minister and atomic chief Ali Akbar Salehi came just days ahead of a high-profile meeting between Tehran and six world powers over the Islamic republic''s nuclear programme.
  • Tunisia grapples with looting, new leader sworn in
  • Tunis: At least 42 inmates were killed in two prison fires today, looters emptied shops and torched the main train station and gunfire echoed through the capital.
  • Iran opens atom sites to foreign envoys
  • Tehran: Meanwhile, foreign minister and atomic chief Ali Akbar Salehi said Iran would reveal new achievements during the visit to the Arak heavy-water facility.
  • Brazil braces for more rain after floods kill hundreds
  • Nova Friburgo (Brazil): As rescue teams and residents combed the wreckage of hillside communities near tourist hotspot Rio de Janiero, forecasters warned the wet weather was likely to last into next week.
  • SL distributes Indian flood aid as toll rises to 37
  • Colombo: The Disaster Management Centre said the number of people killed in the floods rose to 37 with another 12 listed as missing following the week-long heavy monsoon rains that left over a million people displaced.
  • South Korea, Japan continue hard line on N Korea
  • Seoul: South Korean Foreign Minister Kim Sung-hwan told reporters after a meeting in Seoul with his Japanese counterpart, Seiji Maehara, that the North must demonstrate its "true commitment" to abandoning a nuclear programme that is believed to have produced enough weaponised plutonium for at least half a dozen bombs. The North also unveiled in November a uranium enrichment facility that could give it a second way to make atomic bombs.
  • Three US soldiers killed in Iraq, says US army
  • Baghdad: The deadliest incident saw two soldiers killed and the one wounded "while conducting operations in northern Iraq," a statement said, without giving further details.
  • Tunisia's 'Jasmin revolution' jolts Arab world
  • Cairo: A joke making the rounds in Egypt shortly after the news that the Tunisian leader, Zine El Abidine Ben Ali, had fled the country after 23 years in power, reflects the mood on the streets of Arab nations.
  • 'Struck off NRI doctor ran care home for 4 years'
  • London: In 2005 the General Medical Council ruled that Bellipady Sudaram Rai, a former police surgeon and family doctor, would pose a "significant risk" to the public if he were allowed to continue working as a doctor.
  • Nepal Prez asks political parties to form  govt
  • Yadav, the first president of the Republic, called on the political parties to elect a Prime Minister before January 21 and form a new government on the basis of national consensus, according to the President?s Office.
  • Nasrallah to speak tomorrow on Lebanon crisis
  • Beirut: The announcement comes a day after Hariri, who was in the United States when the cabinet walkout took place, returned home and vowed to cooperate in forming a new government.
  • Iran says two downed spy planes were US-operated
  • Tehran: An Iranian official says authorities will publicly display them.
  • Tunisian president's departure called permanent
  • Tunis (Tunisia): It was the second time power has changed hands in this North African country in less than 24 hours.
  • Najib wants panel to sort out book row over 'caste'
  • The Prime Minister asked the Malaysian Indian Congress (MIC) to name a panel to discuss the issues involving the controversial high school literature book whose references to the caste system among the minority community was not acceptable to many ethnic Indians, who form eight per cent of the country''s population of 27 million people.
  • UN ends Nepal peace mission amid fears of chaos
  • Kathmandu: The waring political parties claimed to have reached an agreement to monitor former armed Maoist cadres lodged in special camps overseen by the UN mission.
  • Thai Pongal: 78 former LTTE fighters released
  • Colombo: Officials said 48 females and 30 males have been handed over to their families in Vavuniya, after they had undergone rehabilitation.
  • 2 Christian women beaten over blasphemy allegations
  • Lahore: The roughing up of the family forced them to go into hiding for fear of being killed, and the fresh incident as the country is yet to recover from the assassination of outspoken governor Salmaan Taseer for his support to Christian women Aasia Bibi in jail on blasphemy charges.
  • No time for delay on climate change, says Clinton
  • Washington: "And we welcome the commitment to development, but we would like to work more closely together to have common standards and approaches," she noted.
  • Tunisia on edge after protests force out president
  • Tunis: Ben Ali signed a decree handing interim presidential powers to Prime Minister Mohammed Ghannouchi and flew out of the capital Tunis to refuge in Saudia Arabia after failing to quell growing public anger against his regime.
  • Obama, Zardari discuss terrorism, blasphemy law
  • Zardari, who was here on a two-day visit to attend the memorial service for late US special envoy for Af-Pak region Richard Holbrooke, held talks with Obama last evening.
  • Unidentified gunmen kill official in Quetta in Pak
  • Islamabad: Abdul Jabbar, the Deputy Director for Water Resources Management in the Balochistan government, was driving along the Airport Road in Quetta when the gunmen attacked him.
  • 14 persons killed as violence grips Karachi again
  • Karachi: Fourteen people have been killed and several others injured as a spate of target killings & widespread violence gripped Pakistan''s biggest city since Thursday night.
  • Man dies after falling from cargo plane in Pakistan
  • Lahore: Muhammad Afzal, a resident of Al-Faysal Town neighbourhood near the airport, said he was watching TV with his family when he heard something fall on the roof of his house at 9.30 pm last night.
  • United Nations ends its Nepal peace mission
  • The United Nations Mission in Nepal (UNMIN) established three and half years ago to monitor the country''s post conflict transition ended its peace mission as the waring political parties claimed to have reached an agreement on monitoring of the former armed Maoist cadres lodged in special camps overseen by the UN mission.
  • 'Biden sought to clear misconceptions during Pak visit'
  • A senior official accompanying Biden on his way back from his visit to Afghanistan, Pakistan and Iraq told reporters that the Vice President concluded that there is a growing awareness in Pakistan that extremism is a serious challenge.
  • China to station troops in North Korea, says report
  • Seoul: The Chosun Ilbo newspaper quoted an anonymous official at the presidential Blue House as saying that Beijing and Pyongyang recently discussed details of stationing Chinese soldiers in the North''s northeastern city of Rason.
  • NATO oil tankers attacked in southwest Pakistan
  • Islamabad: The militants attacked the tankers, which were on their way to Afghanistan, near Dear Murad Jamali town in southwestern Balochistan province early this morning.
  • Oldest living African-American dies at the age of 113
  • Mississippi Winn, an upbeat former domestic worker known as "Sweetie," died yesterday afternoon at Magnolia Manor Nursing Home, said Milton Carroll, an investigator with the Caddo Parish Coroner''s Office. He said he could not release her cause of death.
  • Pakistani charged with stalking JFK's granddaughter
  • Washington: Naeem Ahmed, 41, sent 40 intimate messages to Tatiana Schlossberg, daughter of Caroline Kennedy and showered her with flowers and balloons despite warnings by the family''''s security firm, media reports said.
  • Holbrooke eulogised by Obama at memorial service
  • "It is no coincidence that his life story so closely paralleled the major events of his times," Obama said, eulogising Holbrooke, who died on December 13, at a memorial ceremony, also attended by visiting Pakistan President Asif Ali Zardari yesterday.
  • Gang recruited Russian women as sex slaves
  • Moscow: Police in the Far East of Russia announced that three people had been charged with human trafficking as part of a gang made up of Russian and Greek citizens, following an investigation by Greek police.
  • Saudi Arabia hosts toppled Tunisian President
  • Dubai: The statement from office of Saudi King Abdullah, released on the country''s official news agency SPA, confirmed that Bin Ali arrived early today in the kingdom after fleeing Tunisia, ending several hours of mystery over his whereabouts.
  • Weeks of rains leave 47 persons dead in Philippines
  • Manila: Monsoon rains have battered parts of the country since December 29, with more thunderstorms still forecast for these areas, the government weather station said.
  • Tunisians drive leader from power in mass uprising
  • Tunis: The office of Saudi King Abdullah confirmed early today that ousted President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali and his family had landed in Saudi Arabia, after several hours of mystery over his whereabouts.
  • Duma votes on arms cut treaty with United States
  • Moscow: The bill approving the new Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (START) signed in April in Prague by US President Barack Obama and his Russian counterpart Dmitry Medvedev was passed by a 349-57 vote with two abstentions in the 450 strong-lower house with the backing of the two pro-Kremlin United Russia and ''A Just Russia'' parties.
  • 'US would keep pressing China on rights violations'
  • The United States would continue to and voice its concerns on the human rights violations in China, said Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, days ahead of the visit of Hu to Washington.
  • Prez Barack Obama deplores use of force in Tunisia
  • "The US stands with the entire international community in bearing witness to this brave and determined struggle for the universal rights that we must all uphold, and we will long remember the images of the Tunisian people seeking to make their voices heard," Obama said in a statement.
  • Arab activists hope Tunisia uprising brings change
  • Cairo: Thousands of messages congratulating the Tunisian people flooded the Internet yesterday on Twitter, Facebook and blogs, and many people replaced their profile pictures with red Tunisian flags.
  • Princess Diana's niece charged for assault in SAfrica
  • London: Lady Amelia Spencer, the 18-year-old daughter of Diana''s brother Earl Spencer, was with a male friend when the couple got into a row after the taxi cut in front of their car at 2.30 am at a restaurant in Cape Town last month, the ''Daily Express'' reported.
  • Aware of Asian nations' apprehensions on China: US 
  • This was stated by US National Security Adviser Ton Donilon during a White House briefing yesterday, while speaking on broad contours of the American relationship with the second largest economy of the world, ranging from Sino-US economic and military ties to global issues of North Korea and Iran and those related to human rights.
  • United States describes India as 'great power'
  • "We fully embraced India''s rise as a great power and a great partner for the United States," US National Security Adviser Tom Donilon told reporters at a White House briefing last evening.
  • 'Singapore to push dialogue between India and China'
  • Singapore: The Institute of Southeast Asian Studies (ISEAS), The National University of Singapore (NUS), Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy and Nanyang Technological University have formed the Singapore Consortium for Indo-China dialogue.
  • US court yet to decide on Pakistani cab driver release
  • Chicago: "US District Court Judge James Zagel has not ruled yet on whether he will release him or not," Khan''''s attorney Thomas Durkin told PTI.
  • New York mosque project gets new director
  • New York: The new director of the project, imam Abdallah Adhami, is an American Muslim who was born in Washington, and has worked for the past 20 years as an Islamic leader in the United States, the Park51 organisation said yesterday.
  • Prez Barack Obama to ease Cuba travel restrictions
  • Tallahassee (US): The State Department briefed Sen Bill Nelson and his foreign policy staff on the plans to lift restrictions put in place by President George W Bush, said the senator''s spokesman Dan McLaughlin said yesterday. McLaughlin said the changes will be made within the next three weeks.
  • Prez Obama calls for free and fair Tunisia elections
  • Washington: "I condemn and deplore the use of violence against citizens peacefully voicing their opinion in Tunisia, and I applaud the courage and dignity of the Tunisian people," Obama said in a statement yesterday.
  • European tourists pulled out of Tunisia
  • London: Thomas Cook said around 2,000 German holidaymakers were being repatriated yesterday due to the violence, while a further 1,800 from Britain and Ireland were being flown home and 540 were returning to Belgium.
  • Father of modern Chinese navy Liu Huaqing dies
  • Beijing: State broadcaster CCTV says Liu died today morning of an undisclosed illness.
  • UK prosecutors reopen phone hacking investigation
  • London: Chief prosecutor Keir Starmer said that a "comprehensive assessment" of all evidence would be held to see whether new charges should be brought in the case involving The News of The World, owned by Rupert Murdoch''s media company.
  • Ex-anti-graft chief win Nigeria opposition primaries
  • Abuja: Nuhu Ribadu was famous for fighting graft headlong in the oil-rich African country where politicians have strong predilection to corrupt practices.
  • China deputy FM calls for closer US ties: Xinhua
  • Beijing: Speaking at the foreign policy forum in Beijing, Cui Tiankai said the two nations should deepen ties as they "share the same demands in maintaining peace and stability" on the Korean peninsula, according to Xinhua.
  • Train collision injures 95 persons in South Africa
  • Johannesburg: Local media quoted Jeff Wicks, spokesman for private ambulance service Netcare911, as saying seven of the injuries were serious, and that no one was killed.
  • Duma votes on amrs cut treaty with United States 
  • Moscow: The bill approving the new Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (START) signed in April in Prague by US President Barack Obama and his Russian counterpart Dmitry Medvedev was passed by a 349-57 vote with two abstentions in the 450 strong-lower house with the backing of the two pro-Kremlin United Russia and ''A Just Russia'' parties.
  • Haiti political violence flares
  • Port-au-Prince: The protests flared hours after President Rene Preval was handed an official report from international monitors calling on his preferred successor to out of the race to replace him.
  • Tunisian president quits after violent protests
  • Tunis: Prime Minister Mohammed Ghannouchi announced on state television that he had taken over as interim president, after a day of violent clashes between rock-throwing protesters and riot police in the streets of central Tunis.
  • India a great partner of United States: Tom Donilon
  • Briefing White House correspondents in an off-camera briefing on the upcoming visit of Chinese President Hu Jintao, National Security Advisor Tom Donilon said the US so far has been under-involved in Asia and the Obama administration is all set to correct that.
  • Zardari meets Obama; discusses Afghan & terrorism
  • Washington: US Prez Barack Obama today met visiting Pak counterpart Asif Ali Zardari and discussed with him the efforts in combating terrorism and achieving stability in Afghanistan.
  • Saad Hariri back in Beirut, urges dialogue
  • Beirut: Saad Hariri has been trying to rally support in the US, France and Turkey since ministers allied to the Shiite militant group resigned on Wednesday, bringing down his government while he was in Washington meeting with President Barack Obama.
  • Former Globes publicist sues, questions ethics
  • Los Angeles: Michael Russell sued the Hollywood Foreign Press Association late yesterday, just three days before the Golden Globes are slated to air Sunday on NBC.
Business
Sports
 
 
 
 
 
 
Posted by at

3 comments:

  1. AnonymousFebruary 7, 2012 at 1:36 AM

    Thanks for sharing this informative post.
    spa rituals Toowoomba

    ReplyDelete
  2. UnknownJuly 3, 2014 at 4:20 AM

    Packers and Movers in Vadodara As per your requirement select your service, and company provides you it. In Packing they use proper packing material for your goods. So its reamin unbreakable . They have best professional’s team for this job. So Hiring a Professional Packers and Movers in Vadodara is beneficial for you.

    ReplyDelete
  3. UnknownJuly 3, 2014 at 4:23 AM

    Packers and Movers in Vadodara There are very various packers and movers in Vadodara, ahmedabad, Surat, Rajkot, Bhavnagar, Bharuch. It is advisable for client to appoint best packers and movers from them local city. Cause hire a packing and moving service service provider from another city is like hectic. Because if due to any reason , If service provider came late from given time then, the created schedule got disturbed. Local packers and movers in vadodara gives you more facilities then others. You can also make a choice from range while in appointing in Money and service area also.

    ReplyDelete

Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)